1
00:00:02,200 --> 00:00:03,600
It's quite a bit of gold
in there.
2
00:00:03,600 --> 00:00:04,900
[Todd] That is awesome.
3
00:00:04,900 --> 00:00:06,467
[narrator]
On an Alaskan mine site
4
00:00:06,467 --> 00:00:09,400
that ruined many generations
of miners...
5
00:00:09,400 --> 00:00:12,166
-That's a pile of gold
right there, guys.
-Whoo!
6
00:00:12,166 --> 00:00:16,100
[narrator] ...the Hoffman clan
is finally banking real gold.
7
00:00:16,100 --> 00:00:19,567
[Todd] Three thousand ounces
is within reach.
8
00:00:19,567 --> 00:00:21,000
Now it's about us.
9
00:00:21,000 --> 00:00:25,367
[narrator] Mine boss
Todd Hoffman's strategy
to build roads
10
00:00:25,367 --> 00:00:28,500
gives the crew access
to muddy pay dirt.
11
00:00:28,500 --> 00:00:30,700
It's, like, five foot of slop
right there.
12
00:00:30,700 --> 00:00:32,834
All the pay dirt is soup.
13
00:00:34,066 --> 00:00:35,767
[narrator]
But in a closed system...
14
00:00:35,767 --> 00:00:38,266
-How dirty is that water?
-Getting worse.
15
00:00:38,266 --> 00:00:41,667
[narrator] ...too much mud
creates problems of its own.
16
00:00:41,667 --> 00:00:43,000
[Todd] We're going to start
losing gold.
17
00:00:43,000 --> 00:00:44,166
Guys, this ain't good.
18
00:00:44,166 --> 00:00:45,934
We're going
to have to shut down.
19
00:00:46,567 --> 00:00:49,066
Muddy water makes gold float.
20
00:00:49,066 --> 00:00:51,767
[narrator] The only chance
of making their goal...
21
00:00:51,767 --> 00:00:53,100
Come on, girl,
pull together for us.
22
00:00:53,100 --> 00:00:57,700
[narrator] ...is engineering
a way to beat nature
at its own game.
23
00:00:57,700 --> 00:01:00,800
Four hours of trying
to put a pipe in the ditch
is kind of stupid.
24
00:01:00,800 --> 00:01:02,066
Whoa. Whoa.
25
00:01:18,200 --> 00:01:20,467
[Todd] How many yards
you got in this thing?
26
00:01:20,467 --> 00:01:22,333
[Andy] There's 8,000 yards
on the bottom.
27
00:01:27,400 --> 00:01:30,700
Hey, Dakota, how dirty
is that water?
28
00:01:30,700 --> 00:01:33,367
It's getting dirtier.
Getting worse.
29
00:01:33,367 --> 00:01:35,700
[Todd] Yeah,
the water's concerning.
30
00:01:35,700 --> 00:01:37,900
-It's really dirty
right there.
-Yeah.
31
00:01:37,900 --> 00:01:40,333
[Todd speaking]
32
00:01:43,767 --> 00:01:45,166
If you can't keep
your water clean,
33
00:01:45,166 --> 00:01:46,533
you're not going to catch
the gold.
34
00:01:48,066 --> 00:01:50,266
[narrator] Just three weeks
into the season,
35
00:01:50,266 --> 00:01:53,967
the mine's water circuit
exposes a mysterious issue,
36
00:01:54,400 --> 00:01:55,634
muddy runoff.
37
00:01:56,667 --> 00:01:59,100
[Todd] Muddy water
makes gold float.
38
00:01:59,100 --> 00:02:03,100
And it's going to go
down the box
right out into the drink.
39
00:02:03,100 --> 00:02:06,467
So we got some real problems
in the sluice box.
40
00:02:06,467 --> 00:02:10,500
We're actually running
the dirtiest water
that we've ever sluiced
41
00:02:10,500 --> 00:02:13,767
because I'm bringing
all the water out of the cut,
42
00:02:13,767 --> 00:02:17,000
and I'm running it
into my circuit.
43
00:02:17,000 --> 00:02:19,300
[narrator] The Hoffman's use
a closed-loop circuit
44
00:02:19,300 --> 00:02:21,800
to recycle and clean
their water.
45
00:02:21,800 --> 00:02:25,667
Clean water is pumped
from a large holding pond
to the wash plants
46
00:02:25,667 --> 00:02:28,867
and then discarded
out of the sluice boxes.
47
00:02:28,867 --> 00:02:32,166
This dirty water
is sent back into the circuit
48
00:02:32,166 --> 00:02:35,600
where the sediment
from the used water
settles to the bottom,
49
00:02:35,600 --> 00:02:39,266
allowing clean water
to travel back
to the starting point,
50
00:02:39,266 --> 00:02:40,667
the holding pond.
51
00:02:43,166 --> 00:02:46,200
But with the muddy water
reaching the plants,
52
00:02:46,200 --> 00:02:49,066
Todd suspects a breakdown
somewhere in the circuit.
53
00:02:53,066 --> 00:02:54,734
[Todd] Oh, my gosh,
look at it.
54
00:02:55,100 --> 00:02:56,233
Wow.
55
00:02:59,500 --> 00:03:01,867
So we've had a lot
of dirty water in the cut,
56
00:03:01,867 --> 00:03:05,200
and we've had to drain it
into our circuit
and try to clean it up.
57
00:03:05,200 --> 00:03:07,734
I don't know what's going on.
We got to figure it out.
58
00:03:11,000 --> 00:03:12,767
So, the cut over here,
59
00:03:12,767 --> 00:03:15,233
you got these
drainage ditches.
60
00:03:15,967 --> 00:03:18,400
So as the muddy ice melts,
61
00:03:18,400 --> 00:03:20,800
the water comes down
the ditch,
62
00:03:20,800 --> 00:03:24,400
we pump it up
over the dike here,
63
00:03:24,400 --> 00:03:26,467
and we've put it in
right here.
64
00:03:26,467 --> 00:03:27,967
We got a problem here,
65
00:03:27,967 --> 00:03:31,000
this water,
it's too dirty to sluice.
66
00:03:31,000 --> 00:03:34,367
And if the water's too dirty,
you're not going to catch
the gold
67
00:03:34,367 --> 00:03:37,567
because the dirty water
makes gold float.
68
00:03:39,000 --> 00:03:42,200
We are on track
for our best season
that we've ever had.
69
00:03:42,200 --> 00:03:45,166
We've got two
great weigh-ins.
I want a third one.
70
00:03:45,166 --> 00:03:48,867
I can't let this problem
throw us off course.
71
00:03:48,867 --> 00:03:51,967
So I need to shut
the plants down
and get this problem fixed
72
00:03:51,967 --> 00:03:53,934
until I can get
some cleaner water.
73
00:03:54,467 --> 00:03:55,867
Guys, this ain't good.
74
00:03:55,867 --> 00:03:57,867
We're going
to have to shut down
75
00:03:57,867 --> 00:04:00,967
and fix this fricken water,
one way or another here.
76
00:04:00,967 --> 00:04:02,333
Go ahead and shut it down.
77
00:04:03,400 --> 00:04:04,767
[engine stopping]
78
00:04:13,000 --> 00:04:17,200
When our plants are down,
we're losing $40,000 per day.
79
00:04:17,200 --> 00:04:18,533
Go ahead and kill the pump.
80
00:04:20,000 --> 00:04:22,700
The water's muddy,
so we got to figure out
what's going on
81
00:04:22,700 --> 00:04:23,767
and fix this,
82
00:04:23,767 --> 00:04:25,667
otherwise we're going
to lose or momentum,
83
00:04:25,667 --> 00:04:27,066
and we're not going
to hit our goal.
84
00:04:37,467 --> 00:04:39,567
I'm telling you,
this is pretty cool
85
00:04:39,567 --> 00:04:42,467
-being able to go out
across this.
-All right.
86
00:04:42,467 --> 00:04:44,333
This doesn't tear anything up.
87
00:04:45,567 --> 00:04:47,300
[narrator] At the edge
of Mammoth Valley,
88
00:04:47,300 --> 00:04:49,867
several miles southeast
of the Lost Cut,
89
00:04:49,867 --> 00:04:53,867
Jack and Hunter take the sherk
into unmined terrain
90
00:04:53,867 --> 00:04:55,900
in search of a new source
of gold.
91
00:04:55,900 --> 00:04:57,266
I wonder what that is
right there?
92
00:04:57,266 --> 00:05:00,634
Dead straight forward,
that's a bear, or a musk ox,
or something, right?
93
00:05:01,367 --> 00:05:03,667
Might be a musk ox.
94
00:05:03,667 --> 00:05:06,367
-[Hunter] Oh, my gosh.
-[Jack] Yeah,
he's a big old boy.
95
00:05:06,367 --> 00:05:07,634
[musk ox grunts]
96
00:05:08,367 --> 00:05:11,166
Hunter and I
are prospecting today.
97
00:05:11,166 --> 00:05:14,767
I've never ridden in a Sherp.
So it's going to be fun
98
00:05:14,767 --> 00:05:18,567
We're going to go out
and, uh, find another
source of gold
99
00:05:18,567 --> 00:05:20,834
because the Lost Cut's
bound to run out.
100
00:05:21,266 --> 00:05:22,634
Where are we going?
101
00:05:23,367 --> 00:05:24,634
So I want to go out...
102
00:05:27,100 --> 00:05:28,200
-And...
-[Jack] Yeah.
103
00:05:31,100 --> 00:05:33,500
-Okay.
-[Hunter] So I'm thinking,
yeah, we'll creep out,
104
00:05:33,500 --> 00:05:36,367
and hopefully
today's the day
we find something.
105
00:05:36,367 --> 00:05:41,333
[Jack] You know , maybe
we'll find that pot of gold
at the end of that rainbow.
106
00:05:42,600 --> 00:05:46,166
We're using a map that has
our mines drill results.
107
00:05:46,166 --> 00:05:48,000
It's kind of like
a treasure map
108
00:05:48,000 --> 00:05:50,834
that'll help us find
our next big deposit.
109
00:05:52,100 --> 00:05:55,266
Carry Creek
could be our salvation,
I don't know.
110
00:05:55,867 --> 00:05:58,533
-[Hunter speaking]
-[Jack] Yeah.
111
00:06:03,467 --> 00:06:04,567
[Jack] Yeah.
112
00:06:06,100 --> 00:06:11,066
Most of the reason
why I'm out here this year
113
00:06:11,066 --> 00:06:13,367
is just for my
grandpa, honestly.
114
00:06:13,367 --> 00:06:15,166
And if this is going to be
his last year,
115
00:06:15,166 --> 00:06:19,734
then I feel a responsibility
to make Jack's last season
a huge one.
116
00:06:21,066 --> 00:06:23,533
-[Jack] Are we going
to go down that way?
-[Hunter] Yeah.
117
00:06:28,200 --> 00:06:30,667
Bigger pond, second, third.
118
00:06:30,667 --> 00:06:31,867
-Dike this up here.
-Uh-huh.
119
00:06:33,066 --> 00:06:34,333
Put a pipe across
right here then.
120
00:06:35,166 --> 00:06:36,700
I think that'll help us a lot.
121
00:06:36,700 --> 00:06:38,266
[Andy] Okay, let's keep going.
122
00:06:43,066 --> 00:06:47,567
So we didn't anticipate, um,
having the water so dirty
coming out of our cut.
123
00:06:47,567 --> 00:06:49,233
We got to do something
to clean it.
124
00:06:50,767 --> 00:06:54,567
What we're doing today
is we're going to build
several different small ponds
125
00:06:54,567 --> 00:06:56,233
off to the side
of our circuit,
126
00:06:56,900 --> 00:06:58,600
and try to pump into it,
127
00:06:58,600 --> 00:07:02,266
and let our, uh,
muddy material settle
128
00:07:02,266 --> 00:07:04,500
before the water goes back
into our circuit.
129
00:07:04,500 --> 00:07:06,600
[narrator] Andy's new idea
to clean the water
130
00:07:06,600 --> 00:07:11,100
involves building
three settling ponds
next to the water circuit.
131
00:07:11,100 --> 00:07:14,567
They'll pump dirty water
from the lost cut
into the ponds
132
00:07:14,567 --> 00:07:17,066
where the sediment
will separate from the water.
133
00:07:17,066 --> 00:07:18,266
If they're successful,
134
00:07:18,266 --> 00:07:21,000
the clean water will flow
through a large pipe,
135
00:07:21,000 --> 00:07:23,533
known as a culvert,
into the circuit.
136
00:07:26,400 --> 00:07:27,734
[Andy] It's no sluicing today.
137
00:07:27,734 --> 00:07:30,467
It's building some ponds
and trying to get
a different circuit going
138
00:07:30,467 --> 00:07:31,934
to settle this mud out.
139
00:07:34,467 --> 00:07:36,967
While I'm finishing
digging these pounds,
140
00:07:36,967 --> 00:07:38,367
Framer's putting
in that culvert
141
00:07:38,367 --> 00:07:40,266
to get the clean water
into the circuit.
142
00:07:43,567 --> 00:07:45,000
-[Framer] Go grab
the other one...
-[Dakota speaking]
143
00:07:45,000 --> 00:07:47,166
...from the same end,
the far end,
144
00:07:47,867 --> 00:07:49,066
and then bring it around.
145
00:07:49,066 --> 00:07:51,166
This is the only piece of pipe
we have large enough
146
00:07:51,166 --> 00:07:53,700
to make it across
the road here
for the haul road.
147
00:07:53,700 --> 00:07:56,100
Unfortunately,
it's in two pieces.
148
00:07:56,100 --> 00:07:58,700
So we're going to have to find
our own way to weld
it together
149
00:07:58,700 --> 00:08:01,066
because it won't fit
in our welder.
150
00:08:01,066 --> 00:08:03,266
So, the best option
I think we have
151
00:08:03,266 --> 00:08:05,166
is to take a piece of steel
and heat it up,
152
00:08:05,166 --> 00:08:06,900
and melt the two pieces
of pipe,
153
00:08:06,900 --> 00:08:09,433
and then we'll use
the machines to fuse
the pipe together.
154
00:08:13,166 --> 00:08:14,734
-[Dakota] More?
-[Framer] Yeah,
give me a little more.
155
00:08:15,100 --> 00:08:16,066
Okay.
156
00:08:16,066 --> 00:08:18,367
It's the same process
as using a fusion machine.
157
00:08:18,367 --> 00:08:19,367
I haven't done this before,
158
00:08:19,367 --> 00:08:20,967
but theoretically,
it should work.
159
00:08:20,967 --> 00:08:23,967
We just have to lock
the pipe together
so they line up,
160
00:08:23,967 --> 00:08:25,467
and then you've
got to face the pipes
161
00:08:25,467 --> 00:08:27,767
so the pipes are even
when you heat them,
162
00:08:27,767 --> 00:08:30,166
and then you need an element
to heat the pipe,
163
00:08:30,166 --> 00:08:33,066
and then something
to press the pipes together,
164
00:08:33,066 --> 00:08:34,500
and hold them while they cool.
165
00:08:34,500 --> 00:08:37,600
So we're using two excavators
to hold the pipes in place,
166
00:08:37,600 --> 00:08:41,066
and then Spink's here
to pull the pipe back,
167
00:08:41,066 --> 00:08:42,100
to get the heater out,
168
00:08:42,100 --> 00:08:44,066
and then to press the pipe
back together,
169
00:08:44,066 --> 00:08:46,367
and hold it too cool off.
170
00:08:46,367 --> 00:08:48,867
As for our heating element,
we're using a piece of steel
171
00:08:48,867 --> 00:08:50,667
that is left over
from the Holy Roller.
172
00:08:51,767 --> 00:08:53,867
[tool whirring]
173
00:08:54,300 --> 00:08:56,567
What's the plate for?
174
00:08:56,567 --> 00:09:00,400
We don't have a fusion welder,
so we have to heat
175
00:09:00,400 --> 00:09:02,066
the plate up with a torch,
176
00:09:02,600 --> 00:09:04,266
and then stick them together,
177
00:09:04,266 --> 00:09:05,467
and then it melts the pipe,
178
00:09:05,467 --> 00:09:06,700
and then you pull them apart,
179
00:09:06,700 --> 00:09:09,333
and then you've got to push
the pipe back together
and weld it.
180
00:09:10,700 --> 00:09:13,166
All right, put that plate
on there now
and see white that looks like.
181
00:09:14,867 --> 00:09:16,367
[Andy] You know,
I got the three ponds dug,
182
00:09:16,367 --> 00:09:18,100
now we've got to get
this culvert finished.
183
00:09:18,100 --> 00:09:19,767
I don't know exactly
what Framer's doing,
184
00:09:19,767 --> 00:09:21,667
but this is not the time
to be experimenting.
185
00:09:21,667 --> 00:09:24,300
This isn't a science fair,
we've got a mine to run.
186
00:09:24,300 --> 00:09:27,000
You think you'll be able
to get those to stick together
like that?
187
00:09:27,000 --> 00:09:28,834
I hope so.
I got no other choice.
188
00:09:29,166 --> 00:09:30,900
It has to be sealed.
189
00:09:30,900 --> 00:09:32,300
So you're just going
to heat the steel
190
00:09:32,300 --> 00:09:34,266
-and melt it, and then just
slip them together.
-[Framer] Yeah.
191
00:09:34,266 --> 00:09:37,066
I'm going to overheat it
to, like, 550, and then...
192
00:09:38,266 --> 00:09:39,867
...push it together.
193
00:09:39,867 --> 00:09:42,066
You don't think,
even if you wrap the sucker,
194
00:09:42,867 --> 00:09:44,467
put them together tight,
195
00:09:44,467 --> 00:09:47,000
dug a 6-foot hole rock
underneath of it,
196
00:09:47,000 --> 00:09:48,233
for drainage if they leaked?
197
00:09:49,767 --> 00:09:51,533
No, I don't, no.
198
00:09:52,767 --> 00:09:55,100
I know I'm right
and Andy's wrong.
199
00:09:55,100 --> 00:09:57,667
'Cause I'm tired of going back
and fixing everything we do
200
00:09:57,667 --> 00:09:59,367
because we don't do it right
the first time.
201
00:09:59,367 --> 00:10:02,000
Every single one of us
is here for one reason,
to make money,
202
00:10:02,000 --> 00:10:04,266
and that's why I'm trying
to do things right,
203
00:10:04,266 --> 00:10:06,266
and we can all go home
with some gold in our pocket.
204
00:10:06,266 --> 00:10:07,767
By the time we dig that ditch,
205
00:10:07,767 --> 00:10:10,667
we're going to be already
in the sand.
206
00:10:10,667 --> 00:10:14,100
And you know what happens
if we get water intrusion
into the sand, it's over.
207
00:10:14,100 --> 00:10:15,166
We lose our road.
208
00:10:16,000 --> 00:10:17,667
The problem is
if the water gets in the road,
209
00:10:17,667 --> 00:10:20,667
and then it turns everything
in the middle of the road
to mud.
210
00:10:20,667 --> 00:10:22,066
It won't just dry out
on its own.
211
00:10:22,066 --> 00:10:24,567
You got to dig
all that mud out,
throw it away,
212
00:10:24,567 --> 00:10:27,700
and then put all new materials
back in the road.
213
00:10:27,700 --> 00:10:29,367
Let's just get this done
real fast.
214
00:10:29,367 --> 00:10:30,533
We'll find a way there.
215
00:10:31,567 --> 00:10:33,266
[Andy] Any time we set up
a new water system,
216
00:10:33,266 --> 00:10:36,400
it's always a pain,
it never goes as fast
as you want it to.
217
00:10:36,400 --> 00:10:39,367
I didn't come up here
to dig ditches
and put water pipes together.
218
00:10:39,367 --> 00:10:42,266
I came up here to mine,
so hopefully we can
get it done quick,
219
00:10:42,266 --> 00:10:43,667
keep going forward.
220
00:10:50,767 --> 00:10:52,100
[Framer] Damn it.
221
00:10:55,734 --> 00:10:57,467
[Framer] Let's clean it up.
Let's just get this done
real fast.
222
00:10:57,467 --> 00:10:58,667
We'll find a way there.
223
00:10:58,667 --> 00:11:00,100
[narrator] With the mine
shut down
224
00:11:00,100 --> 00:11:02,367
due to the dirty water
in the circuit,
225
00:11:02,367 --> 00:11:05,500
Framer and his crew work
on the time-consuming task
226
00:11:05,500 --> 00:11:08,233
of connecting two pipes
to lay under the road.
227
00:11:09,066 --> 00:11:11,266
[Framer] Pull this one.
Keep it coming.
228
00:11:11,266 --> 00:11:13,100
You got a lot of doubters
up here, bud.
229
00:11:13,100 --> 00:11:15,367
I want stuff done right
the first time,
230
00:11:15,367 --> 00:11:17,266
and know for the entire
rest of the season
231
00:11:17,266 --> 00:11:19,400
that our road
isn't going to fail
232
00:11:19,400 --> 00:11:22,333
because we took a shortcut.
233
00:11:22,867 --> 00:11:24,400
-Up on the metal.
-Yeah.
234
00:11:24,400 --> 00:11:26,500
[Framer] Last season,
I was a new guy,
235
00:11:26,500 --> 00:11:29,033
and I was worried about,
you know,
stepping on people's toes.
236
00:11:29,033 --> 00:11:31,200
This year, I honestly
don't care about that.
237
00:11:31,200 --> 00:11:33,667
Like, I'm going
to hurt your feelings,
that's fine, I don't care.
238
00:11:33,667 --> 00:11:37,166
But everyone here needs
to just stand up
and tell Andy and Todd both,
239
00:11:37,166 --> 00:11:39,967
like, "No, we got to take
the time and do it right,
240
00:11:39,967 --> 00:11:42,934
so we're not backstepping
every single day.
241
00:11:44,100 --> 00:11:45,333
Just hold it on this.
242
00:11:46,100 --> 00:11:47,467
Just put the heat out
on the corner.
243
00:11:47,467 --> 00:11:48,834
It'll transfer it in.
244
00:11:51,100 --> 00:11:53,533
Go up, up, up, there you go.
245
00:11:55,400 --> 00:11:57,000
[Todd] I've used
those pieces before.
246
00:11:57,000 --> 00:11:59,333
You can just put
fabric around it,
and you're done with it.
247
00:12:02,266 --> 00:12:05,166
This isn't rocket science,
but sometimes...
248
00:12:05,166 --> 00:12:07,367
...you just need to do things
and get them done.
249
00:12:07,367 --> 00:12:09,166
I'm tired of waiting.
250
00:12:09,166 --> 00:12:10,333
[Framer] Shove it over.
251
00:12:11,166 --> 00:12:12,433
Oh, no. Hold on.
252
00:12:13,300 --> 00:12:15,166
-[bleep]
-[pipe thuds]
253
00:12:15,166 --> 00:12:16,834
Come on, girl,
hold together for us.
254
00:12:28,467 --> 00:12:30,367
-Tony.
-Hey, Todd.
255
00:12:30,367 --> 00:12:32,000
-How you doing, man?
-Good, how are you?
256
00:12:32,000 --> 00:12:33,266
Good. Glad you came.
Good to see you.
257
00:12:33,266 --> 00:12:36,000
-What's going on?
-A lot of dirty water.
258
00:12:36,000 --> 00:12:37,767
We got to get something
to solve this pretty quick.
259
00:12:37,767 --> 00:12:39,667
Okay. I brought the green
chemistry you wanted.
260
00:12:39,667 --> 00:12:41,066
-So let's get down
and take a look.
-[Todd] Okay. Okay.
261
00:12:41,066 --> 00:12:42,767
-We'll do some testing.
-I'll, uh, ride with you.
262
00:12:42,767 --> 00:12:43,834
-Okay, sounds good.
-[Todd] Okay.
263
00:12:45,066 --> 00:12:47,166
I called Tony
from the Dober company
264
00:12:47,166 --> 00:12:49,166
to help me clean up
this water.
265
00:12:49,166 --> 00:12:52,667
He has a green product.
It's a flocculent.
266
00:12:52,667 --> 00:12:56,567
And it's actually made up
from ground up crab shells.
267
00:12:56,567 --> 00:12:57,734
You put it in the water.
268
00:12:57,734 --> 00:13:01,100
It's supposed to pull
that sediment
out of the water.
269
00:13:01,100 --> 00:13:02,767
But first,
we got to test the product
270
00:13:02,767 --> 00:13:05,033
and make sure
it's even going to work.
271
00:13:05,033 --> 00:13:07,533
[Tony] We'll see if we can
knock it out, uh,
on the first try here.
272
00:13:13,867 --> 00:13:16,667
So this is simulating
when your water's running,
273
00:13:16,667 --> 00:13:18,867
and you're agitating
the water.
274
00:13:18,867 --> 00:13:21,500
Adding the chemistry in
just like you would do
over at the plant.
275
00:13:21,500 --> 00:13:23,100
Let this stir a little bit.
276
00:13:24,767 --> 00:13:26,333
And then we should...
277
00:13:29,300 --> 00:13:30,433
...get some treatment.
278
00:13:34,100 --> 00:13:35,166
[Todd] Whoa.
279
00:13:35,166 --> 00:13:37,100
Holy cow, that's quick.
280
00:13:37,100 --> 00:13:40,567
I wasn't, uh, expecting
to see that that quick.
281
00:13:41,734 --> 00:13:43,266
My gosh, look at it.
282
00:13:43,266 --> 00:13:44,433
Look at that.
283
00:13:48,033 --> 00:13:49,934
[Tony] I think that's
your answer right there.
284
00:13:49,934 --> 00:13:51,767
-What do you think, boss?
-[Todd] I... I like it.
285
00:13:51,767 --> 00:13:53,367
How fast can we get it?
286
00:13:53,367 --> 00:13:56,100
We've got it on the floor.
We could ship it out tomorrow.
287
00:13:56,100 --> 00:13:58,367
[Todd] Okay. Right there, man.
288
00:13:58,367 --> 00:14:00,200
This could change our season
right there.
289
00:14:00,200 --> 00:14:04,367
So I got to get my hands
on this product ASAP
290
00:14:04,367 --> 00:14:06,767
'cause we got to get
our plants up and running,
291
00:14:06,767 --> 00:14:08,634
or we're not going to meet
our goals.
292
00:14:20,033 --> 00:14:23,100
-See these white flowers.
-[Hunter] Yeah.
293
00:14:23,100 --> 00:14:26,166
Those only come up
when they've dug.
294
00:14:26,166 --> 00:14:28,567
-I know. Look at this.
Look at this hole.
-Yeah.
295
00:14:28,567 --> 00:14:30,200
[Hunter] That was a ditch.
296
00:14:30,200 --> 00:14:31,834
[Jack] The old timers
were there.
297
00:14:32,567 --> 00:14:33,667
[vocalizes]
298
00:14:35,166 --> 00:14:37,834
Hunter and I are prospecting
Carry Creek.
299
00:14:37,834 --> 00:14:39,500
This is my last season,
300
00:14:39,500 --> 00:14:43,567
and so my time on this land
is probably at an end.
301
00:14:43,567 --> 00:14:47,300
It's really important
that we find another
source of gold
302
00:14:47,300 --> 00:14:49,867
because the last cut's
bound to run out,
303
00:14:49,867 --> 00:14:53,500
and I want Hunter
to have a long
and fruitful future.
304
00:14:53,500 --> 00:14:57,634
So, we could be sitting
on the drill holes right here.
305
00:14:58,266 --> 00:14:59,367
[Hunter] Yeah.
306
00:15:02,567 --> 00:15:06,100
[Jack] This creek
is just southeast
of the Last Cut.
307
00:15:06,100 --> 00:15:10,867
We need to find a spot
that has at least three ounces
of gold per hundred
308
00:15:10,867 --> 00:15:13,066
to make it worth it to mine.
309
00:15:15,100 --> 00:15:17,500
Ooh, quite a piece
of equipment.
310
00:15:17,500 --> 00:15:19,467
[Hunter] Okay, let me get this
fired up.
311
00:15:21,300 --> 00:15:23,767
So my dad finally agreed
to invest in some
new equipment,
312
00:15:23,767 --> 00:15:26,166
so we're out here
with the new drone.
313
00:15:26,166 --> 00:15:30,767
The camera on this drone
uses lidar to basically
3D-map the terrain.
314
00:15:30,767 --> 00:15:33,367
Usually, you're just taking
stabs in the dark, but,
315
00:15:33,367 --> 00:15:35,467
with this you can get
a better idea, you know,
316
00:15:35,467 --> 00:15:37,500
what ground has been
opened up before.
317
00:15:37,500 --> 00:15:39,834
Has an area already
been mined out or not?
318
00:15:39,834 --> 00:15:42,400
Is the ground thawed?
How deep is the overburden?
319
00:15:42,400 --> 00:15:44,600
-[Jack] All right.
-And so it does give you
a better idea
320
00:15:44,600 --> 00:15:46,867
of what you're working with
before you go
321
00:15:46,867 --> 00:15:49,433
bringing equipment out here
and go to break ground, so...
322
00:16:02,867 --> 00:16:05,767
[Jack] So, that's sending
a message here to you.
323
00:16:05,767 --> 00:16:07,834
-We have all those points.
-[Jack] Yeah.
324
00:16:07,834 --> 00:16:10,734
And it's basically
going to follow this route
that it created.
325
00:16:10,734 --> 00:16:13,066
So red on the map
means rock and gravel,
326
00:16:13,066 --> 00:16:14,400
and that's what
we're looking for.
327
00:16:14,400 --> 00:16:16,467
That means that it might
have been mined by old timers,
328
00:16:16,467 --> 00:16:18,467
and there might be gold there.
329
00:16:18,467 --> 00:16:20,266
-Shoot all that imaging.
-[Jack] Yeah.
330
00:16:20,266 --> 00:16:21,467
-[Hunter] Create a map of it.
-[Jack] Yeah.
331
00:16:21,467 --> 00:16:22,767
[Hunter] And then
it'll download all of that,
332
00:16:22,767 --> 00:16:24,266
and then we'll be able to take
a look at what's going on.
333
00:16:24,266 --> 00:16:27,533
-So it will fly that path
right there.
-[Hunter] Flying itself, yep.
334
00:16:27,967 --> 00:16:29,100
[Jack] My god.
335
00:16:30,867 --> 00:16:32,266
[Hunter] So there's
the live video,
336
00:16:32,266 --> 00:16:34,567
-and then that's
the lidar imaging.
-[Jack] Yeah.
337
00:16:34,567 --> 00:16:36,567
So what's that
going to tell you?
338
00:16:36,567 --> 00:16:38,767
-[Hunter] So that'll show us,
like, it's showing the creek.
-[Jack] Yeah.
339
00:16:38,767 --> 00:16:41,667
-[Hunter] It'll show
any holes, ditches,
-[Jack] Okay.
340
00:16:41,667 --> 00:16:45,367
Hunter's using
some pretty cool technology
and lidar,
341
00:16:45,367 --> 00:16:48,867
and I'd given anything for it
back in the '80s,
342
00:16:48,867 --> 00:16:51,300
but it wasn't around.
343
00:16:51,300 --> 00:16:53,567
Then we got to figure out
how to try to get
an excavator out here.
344
00:16:53,567 --> 00:16:56,266
If you can get
a dump-truck load,
345
00:16:56,266 --> 00:16:57,867
I'll run it through the plant.
346
00:16:57,867 --> 00:16:59,066
-Yeah.
-That'll be pretty cool.
347
00:16:59,066 --> 00:17:00,667
-Run it through your plant.
-[Jack] Yeah.
348
00:17:00,667 --> 00:17:03,100
If this can get crazy gold,
349
00:17:03,100 --> 00:17:05,667
-[chuckles] I'm all for it.
-Right.
350
00:17:05,667 --> 00:17:07,033
As soon
as the drone's finished,
351
00:17:07,033 --> 00:17:08,734
we'll head back
and take a look
at the footage.
352
00:17:08,734 --> 00:17:09,834
[Jack] Okay.
353
00:17:13,100 --> 00:17:14,333
[Framer] Oh, no, hold on.
354
00:17:15,367 --> 00:17:17,100
[bleep]
355
00:17:17,100 --> 00:17:18,734
Come on, girl,
hold together for us.
356
00:17:24,200 --> 00:17:25,333
[Dakota] Do it again.
357
00:17:27,500 --> 00:17:28,867
[Andy] He's trying
to do a good job,
358
00:17:28,867 --> 00:17:30,600
so I get what
he's trying to do,
359
00:17:30,600 --> 00:17:33,200
but they've been on this thing
for four hours.
360
00:17:33,200 --> 00:17:36,567
I would have had the pipe done
three and a half hours ago.
361
00:17:36,567 --> 00:17:38,867
I would have been
using the road
and doing the next project.
362
00:17:38,867 --> 00:17:42,634
So, four hours on a pipe,
trying to put a pipe
in the ditch is...
363
00:17:43,033 --> 00:17:45,200
It's kind of stupid.
364
00:17:45,200 --> 00:17:48,200
[Framer] We'll cool it off,
and if it doesn't hold,
I guess...
365
00:17:48,200 --> 00:17:50,667
...we put the [bleep]
on the ground
and we lose our road.
366
00:17:51,867 --> 00:17:54,767
We got in a hurry
'cause Andy tried
to [bleep] us.
367
00:17:54,767 --> 00:17:57,000
"Hi, Andy, I see you there
looking over my shoulder."
368
00:18:01,300 --> 00:18:03,767
[Todd] Hey, Andy,
how's it going down there?"
369
00:18:03,767 --> 00:18:05,533
[Andy] Still waiting on Framer
to finish his pipe.
370
00:18:06,567 --> 00:18:09,467
[Todd] Andy, we got to get
this done by tomorrow.
371
00:18:09,867 --> 00:18:11,033
[Andy] Okay.
372
00:18:15,166 --> 00:18:16,367
[Andy] Think it'll hold?
373
00:18:17,000 --> 00:18:18,367
[laughing]
374
00:18:18,367 --> 00:18:20,567
[Framer] All it has to do
is hold until it lays
in that ditch.
375
00:18:21,500 --> 00:18:23,367
It'll go easy
when it's in two pieces.
376
00:18:25,100 --> 00:18:26,166
It'll just, uh...
377
00:18:26,166 --> 00:18:28,266
It won't let me sleep
at night
if it's in two pieces
378
00:18:28,266 --> 00:18:30,266
'cause I don't how long
that road will last
379
00:18:30,266 --> 00:18:31,934
if it [bleep]
goes in like that.
380
00:18:40,400 --> 00:18:43,166
Saying, look at the beads
on that thing.
It would have been perfect.
381
00:18:43,166 --> 00:18:45,233
All we had to do
was get it together even.
382
00:18:46,266 --> 00:18:47,767
It's looking pretty [bleep],
383
00:18:47,767 --> 00:18:49,967
but hopefully
it holds together.
384
00:18:49,967 --> 00:18:52,734
The true test
is when we pick it up
if it actually stays together.
385
00:18:53,166 --> 00:18:54,967
So, we'll see.
386
00:18:54,967 --> 00:18:57,166
[crew member] On two sides.
387
00:18:57,166 --> 00:18:59,567
-[Andy] So it goes like this.
-Just trying
to hold it together.
388
00:18:59,567 --> 00:19:01,433
I don't understand.
That doesn't make any sense.
389
00:19:03,867 --> 00:19:05,100
[Tater] Okay, here we go.
390
00:19:14,266 --> 00:19:16,166
Got 5 bucks on your weld.
391
00:19:17,200 --> 00:19:18,900
[Framer] Breathe.
Just breathe.
392
00:19:21,200 --> 00:19:22,734
Please hold together for me.
393
00:19:35,567 --> 00:19:36,667
Oh.
394
00:19:38,266 --> 00:19:39,867
[bleep]
395
00:19:39,867 --> 00:19:42,000
Hold on a sec.
I'll run over here
and straighten it up.
396
00:19:45,834 --> 00:19:46,934
Straight down.
397
00:19:51,166 --> 00:19:52,367
Whoa. Whoa.
398
00:19:57,867 --> 00:19:59,200
[Framer] Straight down.
399
00:20:00,266 --> 00:20:01,734
Whoa. Whoa.
400
00:20:06,867 --> 00:20:08,667
[narrator] With the settling
ponds complete,
401
00:20:08,667 --> 00:20:10,634
all eyes are on Framer's pipe.
402
00:20:11,166 --> 00:20:12,834
If his weld doesn't hold,
403
00:20:12,834 --> 00:20:15,333
the Hoffman crew
can't resume mining.
404
00:20:17,367 --> 00:20:19,200
He's gonna lay
that thing down.
405
00:20:22,166 --> 00:20:23,767
[Framer] Right there.
406
00:20:23,767 --> 00:20:26,934
Look at that.
We've got one piece of pipe
that won't leak.
407
00:20:29,567 --> 00:20:30,634
That weld looks pretty bad,
408
00:20:30,634 --> 00:20:32,967
and I did have my doubts
that it wouldn't hold, but,
409
00:20:32,967 --> 00:20:35,667
it held, and that's all
that matters,
and it's gonna work.
410
00:20:35,667 --> 00:20:39,100
And it's not gonna
ruin our road,
so we're happy with that.
411
00:20:42,100 --> 00:20:43,634
[Andy] They finally
got the pipe in.
412
00:20:43,634 --> 00:20:46,333
Um, I've got no problem
with them trying
to weld it together.
413
00:20:46,333 --> 00:20:48,066
Problem was
it took five hours.
414
00:20:48,066 --> 00:20:50,667
Could have had
the thing in there
four and a half hours ago.
415
00:20:50,667 --> 00:20:53,166
So I'm glad they got it in.
I'm glad it worked.
416
00:20:53,166 --> 00:20:56,100
But there's some things
you just can't spend
that much time on.
417
00:20:56,934 --> 00:20:58,066
[Framer] All right.
418
00:20:58,834 --> 00:21:01,133
Every one of you [bleep]
doubted me.
419
00:21:01,133 --> 00:21:02,533
Is piping gonna hold?
420
00:21:02,533 --> 00:21:03,634
There's a win.
421
00:21:04,100 --> 00:21:07,166
[laughing]
422
00:21:08,233 --> 00:21:10,300
I hate to say it, Andy,
but I told you so.
423
00:21:18,867 --> 00:21:22,166
So, I got the imaging
from the drone.
424
00:21:22,166 --> 00:21:24,367
-Mmm-hmm.
-[Hunter]
It was this one here.
425
00:21:24,367 --> 00:21:27,266
-[Jack] Yeah.
-[Hunter] The lidar mapping
should tell us
426
00:21:27,266 --> 00:21:29,166
where ground's been disturbed,
427
00:21:29,166 --> 00:21:32,033
which can indicate miners
have been there before,
428
00:21:32,033 --> 00:21:35,166
meaning there's ground
potentially rich with gold.
429
00:21:35,166 --> 00:21:37,200
[Jack] What does that red line
mean again?
430
00:21:37,834 --> 00:21:40,433
-[Hunter] That means gravel.
-Okay.
431
00:21:40,433 --> 00:21:43,467
And I'm seeing, like, here,
it looks like there's gravel
out on this point.
432
00:21:43,467 --> 00:21:46,767
-[Jack] Yeah.
-I think right here is this.
433
00:21:46,767 --> 00:21:48,266
[Jack] Okay.
434
00:21:48,266 --> 00:21:50,066
-That's where those drills.
-[Hunter] Where all those
drill holes are.
435
00:21:50,066 --> 00:21:51,500
[Jack] Yeah.
436
00:21:51,500 --> 00:21:54,867
[Hunter] So try to track
an excavator in there
and see if it's thawed or not.
437
00:21:54,867 --> 00:21:57,333
Oh, okay.
438
00:21:57,333 --> 00:22:01,834
In my experience,
if we get gravels
up to the surface,
439
00:22:02,266 --> 00:22:03,834
like, we actually saw,
440
00:22:03,834 --> 00:22:06,266
it won't be froze.
441
00:22:06,266 --> 00:22:09,266
-That's been the history.
-That's what I'm hoping.
Maybe.
442
00:22:09,266 --> 00:22:12,000
It looks like we've found
the right spot
to pull from Carry Creek,
443
00:22:12,000 --> 00:22:15,433
but it's going to be
a little bit tricky
to pull a sample out of there.
444
00:22:15,433 --> 00:22:17,634
It's a farther location
than the last cut,
445
00:22:17,634 --> 00:22:19,433
and that means we're gonna
have to build a road.
446
00:22:19,867 --> 00:22:21,066
It's not impossible,
447
00:22:21,066 --> 00:22:24,734
but if the gold's not
at least three ounces
a hundred,
448
00:22:24,734 --> 00:22:25,867
it just doesn't make sense.
449
00:22:25,867 --> 00:22:27,100
I think it's worth, uh...
450
00:22:28,367 --> 00:22:29,600
...worth a run.
451
00:22:30,133 --> 00:22:32,734
-I say go for it, man.
-Okay.
452
00:22:43,467 --> 00:22:45,333
You getting pretty close
over there, big daddy?
453
00:22:46,266 --> 00:22:48,266
[Framer] Let's pump
some water.
454
00:22:48,266 --> 00:22:51,133
All right, fire it up.
Nice and easy, just an idle.
455
00:22:51,133 --> 00:22:52,667
We got our new ponds
up and running.
456
00:22:52,667 --> 00:22:55,867
We're gonna get
this flood water
out of our cut,
457
00:22:55,867 --> 00:22:58,233
and, uh, hopefully
by this evening,
458
00:22:58,233 --> 00:22:59,634
Andy can start hauling
some pay.
459
00:22:59,634 --> 00:23:00,934
-Good?
-[crew member] Yeah, good.
460
00:23:00,934 --> 00:23:03,533
-We all good?
-[Tater] Hours in RPM, sir?
461
00:23:04,467 --> 00:23:06,567
[narrator] To test the new
settling-pond system,
462
00:23:06,567 --> 00:23:11,033
the pump will put hundreds
of pounds of water pressure
on Framer's new piping.
463
00:23:11,867 --> 00:23:14,000
If his bush-fix weld fails,
464
00:23:14,000 --> 00:23:17,166
it's back to square one,
building a new culvert,
465
00:23:17,166 --> 00:23:21,734
and that could cost
the entire crew a successful
gold weigh-in this week.
466
00:23:27,867 --> 00:23:29,233
Yeah.
467
00:23:32,467 --> 00:23:36,166
Tater and the guys
are watching the pipes
on the existing circuit.
468
00:23:36,166 --> 00:23:38,600
And I'm watching the water
on the settling ponds.
469
00:23:39,333 --> 00:23:40,600
[Andy speaking]
470
00:23:44,233 --> 00:23:45,333
Here it is.
471
00:23:47,266 --> 00:23:50,133
Oh, easy. Turn her down.
Turn her down, way down.
472
00:23:50,667 --> 00:23:52,133
[Andy speaking]
473
00:23:59,567 --> 00:24:00,734
[Tater] Ten-four, I'm coming.
474
00:24:05,033 --> 00:24:06,333
That's not real good.
475
00:24:17,867 --> 00:24:19,066
Okay, copy that.
476
00:24:19,066 --> 00:24:23,533
How do we have a leak
in a pipe that was fine
two days ago?
477
00:24:24,166 --> 00:24:25,300
We haven't touched it.
478
00:24:25,767 --> 00:24:27,800
[Tater speaking]
479
00:24:30,867 --> 00:24:32,600
We need to shut
her down, Framer.
480
00:24:34,000 --> 00:24:35,233
Go, kill it.
481
00:24:39,367 --> 00:24:40,934
[engine slows]
482
00:24:44,367 --> 00:24:46,233
So it looks like the leak
is right...
483
00:24:47,166 --> 00:24:49,066
...here.
484
00:24:49,066 --> 00:24:51,734
I'm going to go ahead
and hazard a guess
485
00:24:51,734 --> 00:24:53,166
that it's right there.
486
00:24:53,166 --> 00:24:56,467
This HDPE that runs
under the road,
487
00:24:56,467 --> 00:24:59,033
it's gonna cause
some erosion issues.
488
00:24:59,033 --> 00:25:01,166
[Framer] And guess whose pipe
didn't leak? Mine.
489
00:25:01,166 --> 00:25:04,533
My weld held, but now
another pipe is leaking.
490
00:25:04,533 --> 00:25:07,433
This is why it pays
to do things right
the first time.
491
00:25:08,033 --> 00:25:10,934
[Tater speaking]
492
00:25:12,166 --> 00:25:13,767
[Framer]
If we don't fix this leak...
493
00:25:13,767 --> 00:25:17,667
-Start knocking.
-...then the road
would erode away and fail.
494
00:25:17,667 --> 00:25:22,266
This is the exact problem
that I was talking about
with Andy on the other pipe.
495
00:25:22,266 --> 00:25:24,333
Dig [bleep] next to it.
496
00:25:24,333 --> 00:25:26,467
[Framer] Same thing
would have happened
in the middle of the road
497
00:25:26,467 --> 00:25:28,100
when I told him
we had to weld it.
498
00:25:28,100 --> 00:25:30,166
And we couldn't just wrap it
with a piece of plastic
499
00:25:30,166 --> 00:25:34,266
because we'd be in the same
situation over there
that we are right now.
500
00:25:34,266 --> 00:25:35,634
[Tater] This is the edge
of the pipe.
501
00:25:36,967 --> 00:25:38,433
On the side of it.
502
00:25:38,433 --> 00:25:40,734
[Framer] This is why
I told him we got to do
things right the first time.
503
00:26:03,166 --> 00:26:04,333
[Hunter] I'm out here
in the excavator
504
00:26:04,333 --> 00:26:06,033
because the lidar drone
has shown me
505
00:26:06,033 --> 00:26:07,634
some areas over here
at Carry Creek
506
00:26:07,634 --> 00:26:09,367
that I think are gonna have
some good gold.
507
00:26:09,367 --> 00:26:11,834
So I'm going to poke around
and see if that's true or not.
508
00:26:13,066 --> 00:26:16,467
There's some sort
of an old miner's cut in here.
509
00:26:16,467 --> 00:26:18,634
Surprisingly, this ground
doesn't look frozen at all,
510
00:26:18,634 --> 00:26:20,367
and that's a really good sign.
511
00:26:20,367 --> 00:26:23,266
So, we're gonna try
to get 20 yards out of here,
512
00:26:23,266 --> 00:26:24,867
and get it to the Jackrabbit,
and run it,
513
00:26:24,867 --> 00:26:26,634
and see if it's gonna
be decent or not.
514
00:26:28,467 --> 00:26:31,634
The drone reports show
three ounces a hundred
down in here.
515
00:26:31,634 --> 00:26:34,533
So, we'll see
if that's really true or not.
516
00:26:36,667 --> 00:26:39,033
With it being
my grandpa's last season,
517
00:26:39,033 --> 00:26:43,367
I feel a responsibility
to do everything I can
to figure out our next move,
518
00:26:43,367 --> 00:26:46,934
and make sure that we have pay
till the end
so we can get to our goal.
519
00:26:46,934 --> 00:26:48,567
So I'm going to load this pay
up on the rock truck,
520
00:26:48,567 --> 00:26:51,834
haul it back to camp,
and hopefully save the season.
521
00:27:01,133 --> 00:27:03,100
I'd put rock over this corner,
522
00:27:03,100 --> 00:27:05,367
and then the rest
of it sand burn.
523
00:27:05,367 --> 00:27:08,567
The pipes are fixed,
and we're ready
to divert the last cut runoff
524
00:27:08,567 --> 00:27:10,333
to the settling ponds.
525
00:27:10,333 --> 00:27:12,734
And the final step
is to introduce
the flocculent.
526
00:27:16,233 --> 00:27:20,133
All right, let's hook
this thing up
and get it rolling.
527
00:27:20,133 --> 00:27:23,367
Todd just had the flocculent
rush-delivered to the mine.
528
00:27:23,367 --> 00:27:25,567
So the flocculent
comes in these totes.
529
00:27:25,567 --> 00:27:29,133
So basically, by injecting
the flocculent right here
at the pump,
530
00:27:29,133 --> 00:27:33,467
the flocculent's working
as it goes up this pipe
and into the first pond.
531
00:27:33,467 --> 00:27:35,934
It's actually mixing
all the way up there,
532
00:27:35,934 --> 00:27:37,467
so when it drops in there,
533
00:27:37,467 --> 00:27:41,066
the flocculent actually
collects on all the soil
and the sediment in the water,
534
00:27:41,066 --> 00:27:43,367
and it pulls it
and holds it on the bottom,
535
00:27:43,367 --> 00:27:45,066
and cleans it out
as best as we can
536
00:27:45,066 --> 00:27:46,500
and then goes right
into our circuit.
537
00:27:47,967 --> 00:27:50,266
So we got our, uh,
flocculent pumping in here.
538
00:27:50,266 --> 00:27:52,266
You can see it
flowing through.
539
00:27:52,266 --> 00:27:54,233
We're actually, uh,
treating water right now.
540
00:27:58,000 --> 00:28:00,233
And, uh, we're really
playing catchup now.
541
00:28:00,233 --> 00:28:02,333
We've got a huge goal
we're trying to hit
for Jack.
542
00:28:02,333 --> 00:28:03,867
It's 3,000, and, uh,
543
00:28:03,867 --> 00:28:05,734
we're set back
quite a ways now,
544
00:28:05,734 --> 00:28:07,667
so we're gonna
really kick it into high gear,
545
00:28:07,667 --> 00:28:11,033
try and do some catchup
and get ready
to find some gold.
546
00:28:21,634 --> 00:28:23,767
[Hunter] I'm hauling
a new sample from Carry Creek,
547
00:28:23,767 --> 00:28:26,667
and I'm hoping that I can,
uh, you know,
548
00:28:26,667 --> 00:28:29,900
find a place where
we can start pulling pay
and that's gonna pay out.
549
00:28:31,333 --> 00:28:32,934
A lot of these areas
have been mined out,
550
00:28:32,934 --> 00:28:35,667
and it's hard to know exactly
if you're on the pay layer
or not.
551
00:28:35,667 --> 00:28:38,533
So, even with the lidar drone
and everything,
552
00:28:38,533 --> 00:28:40,967
doesn't mean
that we're guaranteed
to find gold.
553
00:28:40,967 --> 00:28:43,467
But I'm gonna bring
this test up to Jack's plant
554
00:28:43,467 --> 00:28:45,800
and see if Carry Creek
has something better for us.
555
00:28:47,867 --> 00:28:52,166
Basically, my family's
mining legacy
is hanging in the balance,
556
00:28:52,166 --> 00:28:54,667
and if this is supposed
to be the year that we're
gonna be breaking records
557
00:28:54,667 --> 00:28:57,367
and ending my grandpa's
last season on a win,
558
00:28:57,367 --> 00:28:59,834
and there's a little bit
of weight on my shoulders
right now,
559
00:28:59,834 --> 00:29:03,934
but I'm hoping that this
is gonna be the load
that kind of sets us up.
560
00:29:14,567 --> 00:29:15,700
Well...
561
00:29:17,233 --> 00:29:18,867
...here it is,
from Carry Creek.
562
00:29:18,867 --> 00:29:21,133
-See what it has in it.
-[Jack] Yeah.
563
00:29:21,133 --> 00:29:23,533
-We'll go ahead and run it.
-Yeah. Okay.
564
00:29:33,467 --> 00:29:36,333
All right, kid,
let's fire up the water pumps.
565
00:29:36,333 --> 00:29:38,834
So we're gonna go ahead
and fire up the pumps,
566
00:29:38,834 --> 00:29:41,433
check out the water,
see how clean it is,
567
00:29:41,433 --> 00:29:45,066
If we can get it
any bit cleaner,
we can catch more gold.
568
00:29:45,066 --> 00:29:46,767
Bring the water up
on the furrow.
569
00:29:46,767 --> 00:29:48,333
[Tater] Ten-four.
570
00:29:51,934 --> 00:29:54,033
[Framer] All right,
Black Pearl's up and running.
571
00:29:56,567 --> 00:29:58,667
Yeah, you know, at first,
looks a little bit dirty,
572
00:29:58,667 --> 00:30:00,233
but actually it's cleaning up.
573
00:30:11,767 --> 00:30:14,166
We've been able to knock
a lot of the solids
out of there
574
00:30:14,166 --> 00:30:16,567
with this, uh, flocking.
575
00:30:16,567 --> 00:30:18,367
-[Todd] If you feel that
there's no sediment in there.
-[Framer] Oh, yeah.
576
00:30:18,367 --> 00:30:20,767
-[Todd] It's clean.
That's good water.
-[Framer] Way better.
577
00:30:20,767 --> 00:30:23,233
-Way better.
-You can actually feel
when it's too dirty.
578
00:30:23,233 --> 00:30:25,834
It actually gets almost slimy.
579
00:30:25,834 --> 00:30:27,567
Yeah, it looks dirty,
but you put
your hand in there,
580
00:30:27,567 --> 00:30:28,967
and look, it's clean.
581
00:30:28,967 --> 00:30:31,867
[Todd] What we've done
is we've added
some settling ponds over here,
582
00:30:31,867 --> 00:30:34,166
and added in
some more flocking.
583
00:30:34,166 --> 00:30:35,667
We're feeling our water,
584
00:30:35,667 --> 00:30:37,767
and it's actually feel,
not by look.
585
00:30:37,767 --> 00:30:40,967
So this here
is nice and clean water.
586
00:30:40,967 --> 00:30:43,600
All right. Look at that.
Looks good.
587
00:30:49,333 --> 00:30:51,166
Water going down.
588
00:30:51,166 --> 00:30:55,166
Right now we're running
some dirt from Carry Creek
through Jack's plant.
589
00:30:55,166 --> 00:30:58,900
You know, we'll see
if Carry Creek
is the place to be or not.
590
00:31:00,100 --> 00:31:02,767
[Jack] You know,
look at that water.
That's plenty of water.
591
00:31:02,767 --> 00:31:04,834
-[crew member] Looks about...
Yeah, it looks right.
-Yeah.
592
00:31:06,367 --> 00:31:07,767
[Hunter] We know
there's gold in the ground,
593
00:31:07,767 --> 00:31:11,166
um, and this is kind of us
just doing more
of a bulk test
594
00:31:11,166 --> 00:31:12,467
through Jack's plant.
595
00:31:12,467 --> 00:31:14,467
You know,
get some actual yardage
through it,
596
00:31:14,467 --> 00:31:17,567
and then, uh,
we'll pull the box
and see what it is.
597
00:31:17,567 --> 00:31:21,000
-What do you think?
-[Jack] That rock
is coming off really clean.
598
00:31:21,567 --> 00:31:22,700
[Hunter] Yeah, look at it.
599
00:31:24,467 --> 00:31:27,000
Most of the...
a small shaker deck
600
00:31:27,000 --> 00:31:29,667
can only handle, you know,
so many yards per hour.
601
00:31:29,667 --> 00:31:34,467
And so, you're not gonna
break any records
volume-wise with it, but,
602
00:31:34,467 --> 00:31:37,567
you know, you are able to...
to run a lot more dirt
than you would be
603
00:31:37,567 --> 00:31:41,000
with, you know, a gold pan,
or a sluice box,
or anything like that.
604
00:31:41,000 --> 00:31:44,266
And so, uh, we'll try to get
20 yards through it.
605
00:31:44,266 --> 00:31:46,467
And then pull the box,
and you'll kind of get an idea
606
00:31:46,467 --> 00:31:48,100
of, uh, you know,
what you'd be looking like
607
00:31:48,100 --> 00:31:51,667
if you were to run this on...
on a big plant all day. So...
608
00:31:51,667 --> 00:31:54,767
-How's the sluice look?
-[Jack] The sluice
is looking good.
609
00:31:54,767 --> 00:31:56,467
You running
both of them still?
610
00:31:56,467 --> 00:31:58,166
-[Jack] No, one.
-[Hunter] Just one.
611
00:31:58,166 --> 00:32:00,767
[Jack] We're gonna find out
if there's gold in it.
612
00:32:00,767 --> 00:32:02,500
I think there is.
613
00:32:03,066 --> 00:32:04,634
Don't know how much.
614
00:32:18,166 --> 00:32:19,900
Just go through the swamp.
615
00:32:22,367 --> 00:32:24,467
Put it right here.
616
00:32:24,467 --> 00:32:26,867
[Hunter] We're about to do
our first pull
on the Jackrabbit
617
00:32:26,867 --> 00:32:28,000
from Carry Creek.
618
00:32:28,000 --> 00:32:30,133
It's been worked
by old timers before.
619
00:32:30,133 --> 00:32:33,266
Using a lidar drone,
I could see they did
some sort of an old cut.
620
00:32:33,266 --> 00:32:35,767
So, either that's gonna work
in our favor, or it's not.
621
00:32:35,767 --> 00:32:39,066
So we're gonna pull the mats
from the Jackrabbit,
get it all cleaned up.
622
00:32:41,266 --> 00:32:43,333
Get all the gold
off of that one.
623
00:32:43,767 --> 00:32:45,033
[chuckles]
624
00:32:45,033 --> 00:32:46,233
[Hunter] If this gold is good,
625
00:32:46,233 --> 00:32:48,266
the next task would be
figuring out
626
00:32:48,266 --> 00:32:49,700
how we're gonna
get the pay out of there.
627
00:32:50,567 --> 00:32:52,100
[Jack] Basically, Hunter,
628
00:32:52,100 --> 00:32:57,166
-now if Carry Creek is, uh,
is our hope right now.
-[Hunter] Yeah.
629
00:32:57,166 --> 00:33:00,567
[Jack] You know and I know
that in the past,
630
00:33:00,567 --> 00:33:04,033
wherever we saw
where miners had been,
there was gold.
631
00:33:04,033 --> 00:33:07,533
-You know, they didn't have
the time to mess around, so...
-Yeah.
632
00:33:07,533 --> 00:33:09,967
-I'm open, bud.
-[Hunter] Me too.
633
00:33:09,967 --> 00:33:12,667
-Hopefully, this is better
than half an ounce a hundred.
-[Jack] Yeah. Yeah.
634
00:33:12,667 --> 00:33:14,567
-I think so.
-It's gonna have to be
a lot better
635
00:33:14,567 --> 00:33:16,967
for it to be worth it
for us to go down in there.
636
00:33:16,967 --> 00:33:18,433
So, we'll see.
637
00:33:18,433 --> 00:33:20,166
I mean, your plant's working
good at least.
638
00:33:20,166 --> 00:33:22,166
-[Jack] Yeah.
-[Hunter] We got that just try
to find some gold, so...
639
00:33:22,166 --> 00:33:25,667
Well, let's get it up
to the gold room,
see what we got, huh?
640
00:33:25,667 --> 00:33:26,900
-[Hunter] Okay.
-All right.
641
00:33:27,367 --> 00:33:28,834
Let's go, guys.
642
00:33:36,467 --> 00:33:38,500
[Todd] When you're ready
let me know.
I'll switch you out.
643
00:33:40,834 --> 00:33:43,166
[narrator] With clean water
flowing through the circuit,
644
00:33:43,166 --> 00:33:46,734
Todd and his team
are running Lost Cut pay
through both plants
645
00:33:46,734 --> 00:33:48,333
at full capacity.
646
00:33:51,734 --> 00:33:53,367
[Todd]
We're back up and running.
647
00:33:53,367 --> 00:33:55,834
Everything seems
to be working okay.
648
00:33:56,867 --> 00:34:00,133
The good part about this mine
is it is rich.
649
00:34:00,133 --> 00:34:02,433
But you know what,
we're probably
650
00:34:02,433 --> 00:34:05,934
finding out why
the gold's still here,
'cause it's difficult.
651
00:34:05,934 --> 00:34:10,333
So if we can just handle
some of this water
management issues
652
00:34:10,333 --> 00:34:12,233
and all the other things
that we're dealing with,
653
00:34:12,233 --> 00:34:14,266
and we keep our eye
on everything,
654
00:34:14,266 --> 00:34:15,734
we can hit our goals.
655
00:34:15,734 --> 00:34:19,867
Three thousand ounces
is within reach.
656
00:34:19,867 --> 00:34:21,900
Now it's about us.
657
00:34:22,834 --> 00:34:24,667
It's ours to lose right here.
658
00:34:24,667 --> 00:34:27,133
So, can we do it? Yeah.
659
00:34:27,133 --> 00:34:29,967
Is there a good chance
of us not doing it?
Absolutely.
660
00:34:29,967 --> 00:34:31,734
So here we go.
661
00:34:42,000 --> 00:34:44,467
He was the type of guy
in a cowboy hat
662
00:34:44,467 --> 00:34:46,834
who could ride a horse
backwards blindfolded.
663
00:34:49,867 --> 00:34:51,100
[laughing]
664
00:35:07,767 --> 00:35:10,533
And a hundred years later,
you come out
with a marshmallow tank.
665
00:35:10,533 --> 00:35:12,667
[Hunter] A marshmallow tank?
666
00:35:12,667 --> 00:35:15,367
-[laughs] Yeah, dude.
-Yeah.
667
00:35:17,266 --> 00:35:20,033
You think we can, um,
spruce it up a bit?
668
00:35:24,367 --> 00:35:25,500
[man] No.
669
00:35:25,500 --> 00:35:27,967
-I give them props for making
it out here, though.
-Yeah.
670
00:35:27,967 --> 00:35:29,800
[man] Looks like they gave up
on a dream
671
00:35:44,266 --> 00:35:48,767
[narrator] After several days
of work reengineering
their water-settling circuit,
672
00:35:48,767 --> 00:35:51,967
the crew braces for the only
true measure of success...
673
00:35:53,000 --> 00:35:55,400
...results of their weekly
gold weigh-in.
674
00:36:10,033 --> 00:36:11,166
It's got a lot of gold in it.
675
00:36:14,233 --> 00:36:15,333
[grunts]
676
00:36:16,934 --> 00:36:18,133
Some chunkies in there.
677
00:36:19,567 --> 00:36:21,767
Oh, dang,
there's a lot of gold in that.
678
00:36:23,133 --> 00:36:24,900
[Mike] I like the pull so far.
679
00:36:24,900 --> 00:36:27,166
It's shining back
like my smile.
680
00:36:28,200 --> 00:36:30,634
[Todd] The lost cut
is rich with gold,
681
00:36:30,634 --> 00:36:33,000
but both plants
have been down
most of the week,
682
00:36:33,000 --> 00:36:35,033
so I don't want
to get overconfident.
683
00:36:35,867 --> 00:36:37,400
We're gonna find out
soon enough
684
00:36:37,400 --> 00:36:39,967
if all of our hard work
is gonna pay off.
685
00:36:50,934 --> 00:36:54,700
[Jack] This is a test
from Carry Creek.
686
00:36:54,700 --> 00:36:57,467
And it's the first material
out of my plant.
687
00:36:58,266 --> 00:37:00,200
That's pretty cool.
688
00:37:00,200 --> 00:37:02,200
Now, to see gold coming out.
689
00:37:02,200 --> 00:37:04,100
There... There is gold here.
690
00:37:04,100 --> 00:37:08,734
It might be pretty good,
but we'll only know
after we weigh it.
691
00:37:11,000 --> 00:37:12,533
Hopefully, it's good.
692
00:37:15,967 --> 00:37:20,767
I'm hoping that this weigh-in
brings us between 50 and 70
ounces of gold.
693
00:37:20,767 --> 00:37:23,600
If we do better, then, hey,
we gonna be happy.
694
00:37:23,600 --> 00:37:26,100
Framer, so how's
the water going?
695
00:37:26,100 --> 00:37:28,767
-I mean,
no problems keeping it clean.
-[Todd] Yeah.
696
00:37:28,767 --> 00:37:30,100
So we should have
clean water here
697
00:37:30,100 --> 00:37:31,934
-for the rest of the season.
-Good.
698
00:37:31,934 --> 00:37:34,700
Hunter, tell us
what you've been doing.
699
00:37:34,700 --> 00:37:37,900
Well, me and Jack
went out over to Carry Creek,
700
00:37:37,900 --> 00:37:40,767
and ran the drone,
and found a place
that looks like,
701
00:37:40,767 --> 00:37:43,634
you know, old timers,
or somebody at one point
was doing some sort of cut.
702
00:37:43,634 --> 00:37:44,667
Mmm.
703
00:37:44,667 --> 00:37:47,867
So, we ran 20 yards
through the Jackrabbit.
704
00:37:47,867 --> 00:37:49,266
We'll see what it is.
705
00:37:49,266 --> 00:37:51,767
Dad, your plant's still going.
Still running.
706
00:37:51,767 --> 00:37:52,734
Yeah, it's going.
707
00:37:52,734 --> 00:37:56,967
Hunter is absolutely doing
really great with it.
708
00:37:56,967 --> 00:38:01,367
A little temperamental,
but he's caught onto it,
709
00:38:01,367 --> 00:38:03,200
and it's working fine.
710
00:38:03,200 --> 00:38:04,867
He's temperamental,
or the plant?
711
00:38:04,867 --> 00:38:07,066
-[Jack] No, no, no,
the plant is, you know.
-[Todd] Oh, okay.
712
00:38:07,066 --> 00:38:09,133
-[laughing]
-[Jack] Hunter's doing
a great job.
713
00:38:09,133 --> 00:38:12,200
-Keep looking, and we're gonna
find out right now, huh?
-[Jack] Yeah.
714
00:38:12,200 --> 00:38:13,934
How much gold
did we get out of that?
715
00:38:13,934 --> 00:38:15,734
Well, this is it.
716
00:38:15,734 --> 00:38:19,634
I can't tell you exactly,
but we'll find out here.
717
00:38:19,634 --> 00:38:20,867
-You ready?
-Yeah.
718
00:38:29,000 --> 00:38:32,100
-0.2.
-[Todd] 0.2.
719
00:38:32,100 --> 00:38:33,867
[Hunter] So, like,
an ounce a hundred.
720
00:38:33,867 --> 00:38:36,033
-[Jack] Yeah. No.
-And it's not an easy spot
to get to.
721
00:38:36,033 --> 00:38:41,300
-So probably not worth,
uh, investigating anymore.
-No.
722
00:38:41,300 --> 00:38:43,967
If it was insane gold, I'd say
maybe we give it a shot,
723
00:38:43,967 --> 00:38:47,900
-but I don't think that's
gonna carry us home, so...
-[Todd] Yeah.
724
00:38:47,900 --> 00:38:51,967
You know, Hunter, so far,
you've proved a point.
725
00:38:51,967 --> 00:38:53,767
There is gold out there,
726
00:38:53,767 --> 00:38:57,934
-but it's just not quite
what we want yet.
-No.
727
00:38:57,934 --> 00:38:59,333
It's really frustrating.
728
00:38:59,333 --> 00:39:01,634
I was really hoping
that the dirt from Carry Creek
729
00:39:01,634 --> 00:39:04,066
was gonna pay out
more than an ounce a hundred.
730
00:39:04,066 --> 00:39:06,900
I was really hoping
that the lidar drone
was gonna pay off.
731
00:39:06,900 --> 00:39:09,500
But I know there is some
really rich spots
on this property.
732
00:39:09,500 --> 00:39:10,667
It's just a matter
of finding them.
733
00:39:10,667 --> 00:39:12,600
All right, let's get
to the big daddy.
734
00:39:12,600 --> 00:39:13,734
I see a bottle down here.
735
00:39:13,734 --> 00:39:15,567
Well... [chuckles]
736
00:39:16,367 --> 00:39:17,567
Yeah, it's good.
737
00:39:17,567 --> 00:39:18,967
[Todd] Ooh,
you're a little shaky
when you're carrying that.
738
00:39:18,967 --> 00:39:20,567
It's heavy. It's heavy.
739
00:39:20,567 --> 00:39:21,967
-How heavy?
-[Jack] All right.
740
00:39:21,967 --> 00:39:24,400
-Oh, pretty good.
-Oh.
741
00:39:24,400 --> 00:39:26,066
[Todd] So this gold
is from the lost cut.
742
00:39:26,066 --> 00:39:27,567
It was a real struggle.
743
00:39:27,567 --> 00:39:30,066
We finally got the dirt
out of the water
744
00:39:30,066 --> 00:39:32,400
from our new
settling-pond system.
745
00:39:32,400 --> 00:39:34,367
So I'm hoping
for some good results.
746
00:39:34,367 --> 00:39:36,266
-Okay. Somebody call it out.
-[Jack] Okay.
747
00:39:37,867 --> 00:39:40,400
-There's 10. There's 20.
-[Todd] Twenty.
748
00:39:41,867 --> 00:39:43,333
[Jack] Fifty. Sixty.
749
00:39:44,133 --> 00:39:45,600
Seventy.
750
00:39:45,600 --> 00:39:47,266
Eighty.
751
00:39:48,800 --> 00:39:49,934
Ninety.
752
00:39:51,934 --> 00:39:54,900
-Hundred.
-[Hunter] Dude,
this is insane.
753
00:39:54,900 --> 00:39:56,634
[Todd] We're in triple digits
again, guys.
754
00:39:56,634 --> 00:39:57,800
-I like it.
-This is awesome.
755
00:39:58,266 --> 00:39:59,934
[Jack] Twelve, 113.
756
00:40:02,233 --> 00:40:04,867
119. 120.
757
00:40:08,533 --> 00:40:10,800
-127. 128.
-128.
758
00:40:10,800 --> 00:40:14,567
129. 130.2.
759
00:40:14,567 --> 00:40:15,934
-[Todd] Wow.
-130.
760
00:40:15,934 --> 00:40:18,400
-That's a big one.
-Yeah.
761
00:40:18,400 --> 00:40:19,734
-Way to go.
-[Jack] That is good.
762
00:40:19,734 --> 00:40:21,800
-Way to go, everybody.
-[crew member]
It's a good week.
763
00:40:21,800 --> 00:40:25,200
-So what are we at?
Let's, uh, the total.
-The total, yeah.
764
00:40:25,200 --> 00:40:29,166
We're at 445.6 total.
765
00:40:29,166 --> 00:40:30,400
-[Todd] Whoo.
-[Jack] Great.
766
00:40:30,400 --> 00:40:33,300
I see the light
at the end of the tunnel,
or is that the train?
767
00:40:33,300 --> 00:40:34,500
It might be a train coming
the other way.
768
00:40:34,500 --> 00:40:36,900
I know. That's what
I'm worried about.
769
00:40:36,900 --> 00:40:38,900
[narrator]
With a 130-ounce haul
770
00:40:38,900 --> 00:40:41,500
from both the Holy Roller
and the Black Pearl,
771
00:40:41,500 --> 00:40:45,700
the Hoffman's now need
2,587 more ounces
772
00:40:45,700 --> 00:40:48,567
to hit their 3,033-ounce goal.
773
00:40:49,667 --> 00:40:52,467
[Todd] Thanks, guys,
for your hard work this week.
774
00:40:52,467 --> 00:40:55,667
Now we got a lot
of catching up to do
to hit this goal.
775
00:40:55,667 --> 00:40:58,033
Let's keep it up.
We're gonna hit it.
776
00:40:58,033 --> 00:41:01,834
That was a pretty good haul
this week for how long
we were down.
777
00:41:01,834 --> 00:41:07,867
But, uh, we're definitely
a long ways from...
from that 3,033-ounce goal.
778
00:41:07,867 --> 00:41:10,467
I want this season
to end in a win,
779
00:41:10,467 --> 00:41:12,200
not only just for my dad,
780
00:41:12,200 --> 00:41:13,900
but for all of us.
781
00:41:13,900 --> 00:41:15,800
Let's just hope
we can pull this off.
782
00:41:15,800 --> 00:41:19,100
You know what?
It's the most unity
we've ever had this year.
783
00:41:19,100 --> 00:41:22,266
-Mmm-hmm.
-I think it's been most unity
we've ever had.
784
00:41:22,266 --> 00:41:24,634
-[Jim] Yeah. Amen.
-Let's keep it up, huh?
785
00:41:24,634 --> 00:41:25,934
[Jack] Yeah.