1 00:00:00,467 --> 00:00:01,834 [wind blowing] 2 00:00:02,467 --> 00:00:04,800 [Todd] Ooh. It's getting real cold. 3 00:00:04,800 --> 00:00:07,166 -[blows] -[narrator] As winter tightens its grip 4 00:00:07,166 --> 00:00:09,066 on the Mammoth Valley mine... 5 00:00:09,066 --> 00:00:10,900 The winter is really starting to set in. 6 00:00:10,900 --> 00:00:14,000 [Todd] The season could end pretty quickly. 7 00:00:14,000 --> 00:00:16,500 [narrator] ...time is running out for the Hoffman crew 8 00:00:16,500 --> 00:00:19,367 to hit their 1,023-ounce goal. 9 00:00:19,367 --> 00:00:21,767 Let's try to get as much gold as we can. 10 00:00:21,767 --> 00:00:23,266 [on comms] Keep going, guys. 11 00:00:23,266 --> 00:00:24,867 -[air hissing] -[Dakota speaking] 12 00:00:24,867 --> 00:00:26,066 [Sterling] Oh, [bleep]! 13 00:00:26,066 --> 00:00:27,867 [narrator] But when disaster strikes... 14 00:00:27,867 --> 00:00:30,100 -[air hissing] -[Todd on comms] What's going on down there? 15 00:00:30,100 --> 00:00:31,967 The Black Pearl motor caught on fire. 16 00:00:31,967 --> 00:00:32,900 [Todd exhales] 17 00:00:32,900 --> 00:00:33,867 [Tater] Whoa! 18 00:00:33,867 --> 00:00:35,467 [narrator] ...veteran miner Jack Hoffman... 19 00:00:35,467 --> 00:00:37,300 If we raise the hopper, 20 00:00:37,300 --> 00:00:40,600 we can double the dirt coming out of this one. 21 00:00:40,600 --> 00:00:42,800 [narrator] ...must re-engineer his test plants. 22 00:00:43,600 --> 00:00:45,033 [Sparky] All right, we're lit up. 23 00:00:45,033 --> 00:00:48,467 [narrator] And as mine boss Todd orders round the clock mining... 24 00:00:48,467 --> 00:00:50,033 [Todd speaking] 25 00:00:51,166 --> 00:00:54,867 [narrator] ...his crew asks if risks to man and machine... 26 00:00:54,867 --> 00:00:56,800 [Hunter] I've run a night shift before on this mine, 27 00:00:56,800 --> 00:00:58,700 and it's hard, you can't see. 28 00:00:58,700 --> 00:01:01,467 -[thuds] -Oh, [bleep]! 29 00:01:01,467 --> 00:01:05,400 [narrator] ...are worth the gold they're struggling to put in their pockets. 30 00:01:05,400 --> 00:01:07,333 Let's hope it all pays off. 31 00:01:27,000 --> 00:01:29,634 [Todd] Ooh! It's getting real cold. 32 00:01:30,700 --> 00:01:33,700 Alaska's weather changes are drastically different 33 00:01:33,700 --> 00:01:35,600 than the lower 48. 34 00:01:35,600 --> 00:01:38,266 Quite literally, you can look like spring one week 35 00:01:38,266 --> 00:01:39,900 and then look like autumn the next, 36 00:01:39,900 --> 00:01:41,467 and we're heading towards a cold front. 37 00:01:41,467 --> 00:01:44,266 It's getting pretty mean, like it'll get to the point 38 00:01:44,266 --> 00:01:47,166 where you won't be able to feel your hands in the morning. 39 00:01:47,166 --> 00:01:52,000 That means, uh, possibly our season could end pretty quickly. 40 00:01:54,800 --> 00:01:57,600 [cranes calling] 41 00:01:59,367 --> 00:02:02,166 Once you start seeing the Sandhill cranes, 42 00:02:02,166 --> 00:02:05,567 then you've got about 10 days and you're done. Done sluicing. 43 00:02:05,567 --> 00:02:07,367 You know, it's starting to get cold. 44 00:02:07,367 --> 00:02:08,767 The thunder is starting to change. 45 00:02:08,767 --> 00:02:10,367 Color's different. 46 00:02:10,367 --> 00:02:14,000 My plan is just to keep churning through this plateau pay dirt, 47 00:02:14,000 --> 00:02:16,200 put as much through the plant as I can. 48 00:02:16,200 --> 00:02:18,000 This is when guys start 49 00:02:18,000 --> 00:02:20,233 -itching to go home. -[blows] 50 00:02:20,767 --> 00:02:21,734 [exhales deeply] 51 00:02:21,734 --> 00:02:23,667 But if we could get a big win this week, 52 00:02:23,667 --> 00:02:27,066 maybe even triple digits in this plant, oh, man, 53 00:02:27,066 --> 00:02:30,033 that would put a lot of wind back in everybody's sails. 54 00:02:38,000 --> 00:02:40,900 [Hunter] We're just trying to make the most of the situation we're in. 55 00:02:42,500 --> 00:02:44,166 It's getting real cold. 56 00:02:44,166 --> 00:02:45,266 You're waking up in the morning. 57 00:02:45,266 --> 00:02:46,700 Everything's iced up. 58 00:02:47,567 --> 00:02:49,934 We got really lucky that we found the plateau. 59 00:02:51,367 --> 00:02:54,700 [narrator] After the state of Alaska shut down their open-cut mine, 60 00:02:54,700 --> 00:02:58,166 Hunter discovered decades-old pay dirt at the plateau, 61 00:02:58,166 --> 00:03:00,367 several miles from their operation. 62 00:03:00,367 --> 00:03:01,767 [Hunter] This all looks like thawed pay. 63 00:03:01,767 --> 00:03:03,467 This is what we're looking for. 64 00:03:03,467 --> 00:03:05,533 It's just not in the most convenient spot. 65 00:03:06,500 --> 00:03:07,667 [narrator] For the Hoffman's, 66 00:03:07,667 --> 00:03:11,800 the last best hope for hitting their 1,023-ounce gold, 67 00:03:11,800 --> 00:03:14,266 and rewarding the crew with a gold bonus, 68 00:03:14,266 --> 00:03:16,667 means racing the plateau pay dirt 69 00:03:16,667 --> 00:03:20,000 back to the Holy Roller and Black Pearl wash plants 70 00:03:20,000 --> 00:03:22,400 before the equipment freezes. 71 00:03:24,200 --> 00:03:25,600 [Hunter] I'm hoping that, you know, 72 00:03:25,600 --> 00:03:28,100 it pays off because we're out of time, 73 00:03:28,100 --> 00:03:31,834 and otherwise it's just another season where we come up short. 74 00:03:32,266 --> 00:03:33,133 And I don't want that. 75 00:03:37,867 --> 00:03:40,000 Give me, um, ten shots in the U-joint, 76 00:03:40,000 --> 00:03:41,667 ten shots in the slip joint 77 00:03:41,667 --> 00:03:43,300 -on the whole drive line. Okay? -Okay. 78 00:03:43,300 --> 00:03:46,000 Just start from one end and go all the way forward. 79 00:03:46,000 --> 00:03:47,700 Don't skip around or you'll miss some. 80 00:03:47,700 --> 00:03:49,867 -Yeah, I'll start right here and work back. -Yep. 81 00:03:49,867 --> 00:03:52,967 We're winterizing our heavy equipment today. 82 00:03:52,967 --> 00:03:56,166 It's important because when it gets really, really, really cold, 83 00:03:56,166 --> 00:03:59,667 the fluids in this machine will expand and break stuff. 84 00:03:59,667 --> 00:04:01,100 So we want to make sure that 85 00:04:01,100 --> 00:04:03,100 it's all taken care of before winter hits. 86 00:04:03,100 --> 00:04:04,333 [whirring] 87 00:04:07,100 --> 00:04:09,000 Nice. 88 00:04:09,000 --> 00:04:13,100 So we're just making sure that they're hit with grease before it freezes. 89 00:04:13,100 --> 00:04:15,233 That's part of the winterization process. 90 00:04:19,900 --> 00:04:22,834 [Sparky] Right now I'm draining the water separator. 91 00:04:23,900 --> 00:04:27,033 This dirty diesel that would filter out the water... 92 00:04:27,700 --> 00:04:29,500 We're just gonna dispose of it. 93 00:04:30,567 --> 00:04:32,400 Right now we're winterizing the rock trucks 94 00:04:32,400 --> 00:04:34,400 'cause it's a fatal winter. 95 00:04:34,400 --> 00:04:38,200 That will destroy every piece of equipment if you don't do it right. 96 00:04:38,900 --> 00:04:40,300 Dude, it's freezing. 97 00:04:41,567 --> 00:04:43,266 My hands are like, numb. 98 00:04:43,266 --> 00:04:47,133 This is a testament to our audacious youth. So... 99 00:04:47,500 --> 00:04:48,600 There you have it. 100 00:04:49,066 --> 00:04:50,600 Well, we're getting there. 101 00:04:50,600 --> 00:04:52,000 [Sparky] Yeah. This is it, man. 102 00:04:52,000 --> 00:04:53,066 Your last season. 103 00:04:53,066 --> 00:04:55,166 -[Jack] Well, yeah, you know... -Let's be real. 104 00:04:55,166 --> 00:04:56,500 You know how it is. 105 00:04:57,000 --> 00:04:58,567 Just gotta... 106 00:04:58,567 --> 00:05:01,867 Just gotta keep plugging along and do what you can, you know? 107 00:05:01,867 --> 00:05:04,266 Hey, man, you know what? These little setbacks... 108 00:05:04,266 --> 00:05:06,000 -[Jack] Yeah. -...only riles us up 109 00:05:06,000 --> 00:05:07,500 for bigger comebacks. 110 00:05:09,300 --> 00:05:11,133 [Todd on comms] Let's get back to it, boys. 111 00:05:15,367 --> 00:05:17,600 [wind blowing] 112 00:05:33,367 --> 00:05:35,767 Since the, uh, Lost Cut ran out, 113 00:05:35,767 --> 00:05:38,900 we just had to run this, uh, pay from the plateau. 114 00:05:40,166 --> 00:05:42,200 This could be our last shot right now. 115 00:05:42,200 --> 00:05:44,900 The only pay dirt we have. So hopefully it's packed. 116 00:05:52,400 --> 00:05:54,400 Me and the guys have been pushing ourselves really hard 117 00:05:54,400 --> 00:05:56,467 the last few weeks. 118 00:05:56,467 --> 00:05:59,667 I'm on board. I think everybody's on board. 119 00:05:59,667 --> 00:06:01,567 I really hope we have a big weigh in 120 00:06:01,567 --> 00:06:04,834 'cause if it's bad, I want to go home and see my dog. 121 00:06:07,166 --> 00:06:08,934 [machines whirring] 122 00:06:20,266 --> 00:06:21,700 [crackling] 123 00:06:23,367 --> 00:06:24,200 [Dakota speaking] 124 00:06:25,667 --> 00:06:26,600 [Sterling speaking] 125 00:06:29,400 --> 00:06:30,000 [Dakota speaking] 126 00:06:34,700 --> 00:06:36,000 [Sterling] Oh, [bleep]! 127 00:06:44,867 --> 00:06:46,000 Oh, [bleep]! 128 00:06:49,100 --> 00:06:49,700 [bleep] 129 00:06:50,767 --> 00:06:51,600 [on comms] Shut it down. 130 00:06:54,000 --> 00:06:55,200 [bleep] 131 00:06:56,567 --> 00:06:57,400 [coughs] 132 00:06:59,900 --> 00:07:01,900 [Dakota] Holy [bleep]! 133 00:07:01,900 --> 00:07:04,166 -[comms beep] -[Dakota] Tater. Tater. You got a copy? 134 00:07:04,166 --> 00:07:05,533 [Tater on comms] Yeah, go ahead. 135 00:07:05,533 --> 00:07:07,300 [Dakota] Hey, we need you to come take a look at the Black Pearl. 136 00:07:07,300 --> 00:07:08,600 It's on fire. 137 00:07:08,600 --> 00:07:10,000 [Tater] 10-4. 138 00:07:16,100 --> 00:07:17,400 [Sparky] I see a little bit of smoke. 139 00:07:19,367 --> 00:07:21,667 Dude, what did Sterling do? 140 00:07:21,667 --> 00:07:23,100 I just heard over the radio 141 00:07:23,100 --> 00:07:24,767 that the Black Pearl is on fire. 142 00:07:24,767 --> 00:07:27,000 I don't know exactly what that means 143 00:07:27,000 --> 00:07:29,233 or what the damage is, but we're gonna go check it out. 144 00:07:38,300 --> 00:07:40,467 What do you guys got going on? 145 00:07:40,467 --> 00:07:42,600 The motor is on fire when I came over here. 146 00:07:43,367 --> 00:07:44,700 Well, that's not good. 147 00:07:45,100 --> 00:07:46,934 Nice work putting it out. 148 00:07:49,100 --> 00:07:50,200 What's going on? 149 00:07:50,200 --> 00:07:52,900 The, uh, motor caught on fire while we were running. 150 00:07:52,900 --> 00:07:54,867 -What? -Yeah. 151 00:07:54,867 --> 00:07:57,300 [Hunter] Well, what's burnt on it and how do we fix it? 152 00:07:57,667 --> 00:07:58,967 [Tater] It ain't, uh... 153 00:07:58,967 --> 00:08:02,133 Its wiring's burnt, hoses are burnt. 154 00:08:02,900 --> 00:08:05,467 [Hunter] Hey, uh, Dad, you got a copy on here? 155 00:08:05,467 --> 00:08:07,767 [Todd on comms] Hey, what's going on down there? 156 00:08:07,767 --> 00:08:10,000 The Black Pearl motor caught on fire. 157 00:08:10,000 --> 00:08:11,634 [Todd] I'll be right down. 158 00:08:17,367 --> 00:08:19,367 Hopefully, everything's okay, 159 00:08:19,367 --> 00:08:21,667 but maybe something's seized up. I don't know. 160 00:08:21,667 --> 00:08:24,667 I don't really need another problem at this point. 161 00:08:24,667 --> 00:08:26,033 Oh, yeah. 162 00:08:27,266 --> 00:08:30,233 It's definitely got hot. I see smoke. 163 00:08:33,000 --> 00:08:34,800 Tater. How bad is it? 164 00:08:34,800 --> 00:08:35,500 [Tater] It's not good. 165 00:08:35,500 --> 00:08:37,400 It got hot. It's been on fire. 166 00:08:37,400 --> 00:08:40,066 [whistles] Still, you can still feel it. 167 00:08:40,066 --> 00:08:41,900 -[Tater] Yeah. -[Todd] Holy cow. 168 00:08:41,900 --> 00:08:44,700 -Well, some of this stuff looks okay. -[Tater] Yeah. 169 00:08:44,700 --> 00:08:46,667 Yeah, some of it does. We've got to figure out why 170 00:08:46,667 --> 00:08:48,967 -it caught fire. -Could be the head. You think it got hot and... 171 00:08:48,967 --> 00:08:50,900 -[Tater] Yeah. Yeah. -...warped the head or... 172 00:08:51,767 --> 00:08:54,166 It's hard to determine till I take it apart. 173 00:08:54,166 --> 00:08:56,800 It obviously got some kind of a leak somewhere, 174 00:08:56,800 --> 00:08:58,033 -and it caught that on fire. -[Tater] Mm-hmm. 175 00:08:58,033 --> 00:09:01,166 Maybe something squirted up here on the turbo. I don't know. 176 00:09:01,166 --> 00:09:04,367 It looks like some oil or something was on it. But... 177 00:09:04,367 --> 00:09:06,834 [groans and bleeps] 178 00:09:07,367 --> 00:09:08,967 What are we looking at here? 179 00:09:08,967 --> 00:09:11,133 Uh, I won't know until we take it apart. 180 00:09:17,300 --> 00:09:18,867 [Todd] To say that this summer's 181 00:09:18,867 --> 00:09:20,767 one of the hardest summers 182 00:09:20,767 --> 00:09:22,600 of my life is an understatement. 183 00:09:22,600 --> 00:09:24,767 It's been very, very difficult. 184 00:09:24,767 --> 00:09:26,967 With all the things we had, and we feel like 185 00:09:26,967 --> 00:09:28,867 we're just fighting for our life, and... 186 00:09:28,867 --> 00:09:32,500 without the Black Pearl we're definitely gonna even have 187 00:09:32,500 --> 00:09:35,066 a hard time getting even to 1,000 ounces. 188 00:09:35,066 --> 00:09:36,000 I'll tell you what. 189 00:09:36,000 --> 00:09:38,967 Fiddle with it. Let's try to clean this up. 190 00:09:38,967 --> 00:09:41,967 Fiddle with it and then give me a... Give me a word back. 191 00:09:41,967 --> 00:09:43,767 -Dig into it. -[Tater] Okay. 192 00:09:43,767 --> 00:09:46,000 Right now, we need both plants more than ever. 193 00:09:46,000 --> 00:09:48,200 We're trying to do a final push, and... 194 00:09:48,200 --> 00:09:49,867 we're just trying to get out of here in one piece 195 00:09:49,867 --> 00:09:53,000 and, uh, trying to beat what we did last year. 196 00:09:53,867 --> 00:09:55,767 And so, you know, 197 00:09:55,767 --> 00:09:57,734 it's another thing taking the wind out of our sails. 198 00:09:58,066 --> 00:09:59,000 All right. 199 00:10:02,266 --> 00:10:03,300 [Sterling] Good job, bro. 200 00:10:08,467 --> 00:10:09,767 [Todd] Without the Black Pearl, 201 00:10:09,767 --> 00:10:11,767 beating, last year's total 202 00:10:11,767 --> 00:10:14,000 is gonna be pretty much impossible. 203 00:10:14,000 --> 00:10:16,567 So hopefully Tater can get this motor fixed. 204 00:10:16,567 --> 00:10:18,066 If he can't think of something, 205 00:10:18,066 --> 00:10:20,900 these guys are probably gonna pull out and head home. 206 00:10:26,000 --> 00:10:27,800 [wind blowing] 207 00:10:29,767 --> 00:10:31,800 [Tater] So at this point, the Black Pearl's dead. 208 00:10:33,266 --> 00:10:35,166 We just had a motor fire on it. 209 00:10:35,166 --> 00:10:37,867 Now I'm taking a closer inspection of the damage 210 00:10:37,867 --> 00:10:39,000 and hoping I can fix it 211 00:10:39,000 --> 00:10:40,800 so it's not done for the season. 212 00:10:42,967 --> 00:10:44,533 Oh, [bleep]. 213 00:10:46,567 --> 00:10:49,033 I notice there's a bunch of electronics that are burned up. 214 00:10:50,500 --> 00:10:53,700 I can work some miracles, but not this one. 215 00:10:55,000 --> 00:10:56,734 There's no coming back from that. 216 00:10:59,367 --> 00:11:02,700 [on comms] Guys, uh, Black Pearl is down for the season. 217 00:11:03,200 --> 00:11:04,200 [exhales] 218 00:11:04,200 --> 00:11:06,867 [Hunter] As if we haven't had enough issues. 219 00:11:06,867 --> 00:11:09,667 We have a catastrophic breakdown on the Black Pearl. 220 00:11:09,667 --> 00:11:13,367 And, uh, I don't know what exactly is going on. 221 00:11:13,367 --> 00:11:15,400 Some sort of an oil leak. Something caused a fire. 222 00:11:15,400 --> 00:11:17,567 And I don't know how long it was burning, but... 223 00:11:17,567 --> 00:11:19,734 this might be the end of the Black Pearl for this season. 224 00:11:20,567 --> 00:11:22,500 [Todd] This is not good. 225 00:11:26,300 --> 00:11:27,433 [Todd exhales deeply] 226 00:11:32,867 --> 00:11:35,600 Hey. Black Pearl's finished. 227 00:11:36,867 --> 00:11:40,166 Done. There's no time to get the parts. 228 00:11:40,166 --> 00:11:41,467 She's cooked. 229 00:11:41,467 --> 00:11:42,900 So what happened to it? 230 00:11:43,467 --> 00:11:45,133 The motor fried. 231 00:11:46,100 --> 00:11:49,233 -[Jim] Like, seized up? -[Todd] Got hot. 232 00:11:50,066 --> 00:11:52,500 Who knows? Who knows what damage that did. 233 00:11:52,500 --> 00:11:55,467 I can't believe this happened right now. I mean, 234 00:11:55,467 --> 00:11:57,800 we've been tested over and over, 235 00:11:57,800 --> 00:11:59,600 but I don't wanna give up. 236 00:11:59,600 --> 00:12:01,266 I wanna figure out something. 237 00:12:01,266 --> 00:12:03,667 I do, kind of, have a plan forming 238 00:12:03,667 --> 00:12:06,233 and hopefully, you know, it works out. 239 00:12:06,767 --> 00:12:08,367 The only thing we could do 240 00:12:08,367 --> 00:12:10,266 is get the Jack Rabbit up. 241 00:12:10,266 --> 00:12:13,867 But as of right now, it needs to put more yardage through it. 242 00:12:13,867 --> 00:12:16,467 How many yards an hour were you running? 243 00:12:16,467 --> 00:12:19,567 We're running it really slow, about ten yards. 244 00:12:19,567 --> 00:12:22,867 What the Black Pearl and what the Holy Roller make, 245 00:12:22,867 --> 00:12:24,800 the Jack Rabbit can't do that. 246 00:12:25,266 --> 00:12:26,867 How did this get here? 247 00:12:26,867 --> 00:12:28,400 [Todd] We shifted up, man. 248 00:12:28,400 --> 00:12:31,100 The Jack Rabbit is a small wash plant 249 00:12:31,100 --> 00:12:34,867 that my dad built on his own at home. 250 00:12:34,867 --> 00:12:38,467 So far this season, we've only been using it for testing purposes. 251 00:12:38,467 --> 00:12:42,133 We've been running the dirt that Hunter finds out there on the claim. 252 00:12:43,467 --> 00:12:46,700 It wasn't built to be used as a primary wash plant, 253 00:12:46,700 --> 00:12:48,200 but with the Black Pearl down, 254 00:12:48,200 --> 00:12:51,033 this is what we need out of it. We need production. 255 00:12:51,767 --> 00:12:53,300 It's our only option right now. 256 00:12:54,000 --> 00:12:56,667 I really need a big weigh-in this week. 257 00:12:56,667 --> 00:12:59,467 You know what? We're gonna throw everything we got at it 258 00:12:59,467 --> 00:13:01,000 to try to make this happen. 259 00:13:01,000 --> 00:13:02,767 Crank it up as high as it'll go. 260 00:13:02,767 --> 00:13:04,200 -Whatever it'll take. -[Jack] Yeah. 261 00:13:04,200 --> 00:13:05,300 [Todd] I'm gonna need your plan. 262 00:13:05,300 --> 00:13:08,233 I never thought I'd say it, but we're gonna need it. 263 00:13:08,667 --> 00:13:10,433 Whoo! Yeah. 264 00:13:11,200 --> 00:13:13,066 Okay. 265 00:13:14,467 --> 00:13:18,767 [Todd] It's times like this where you just really have to do everything you can 266 00:13:18,767 --> 00:13:21,166 so that you can come home, whether you win or lose. 267 00:13:21,166 --> 00:13:24,667 But at least you have done everything possible 268 00:13:24,667 --> 00:13:28,166 that you could to try to make it a win for everybody. 269 00:13:28,166 --> 00:13:32,133 So if I gotta run Jack's little plant full-time, then we're gonna do it. 270 00:13:38,467 --> 00:13:40,767 [Jack] Okay. We can't be the Pearl, 271 00:13:40,767 --> 00:13:43,166 but I know it's not steep enough, 272 00:13:43,166 --> 00:13:45,967 the angle for the hawk. That's number one. 273 00:13:45,967 --> 00:13:51,100 Number two is I can speed up the... the shaker plant motor, 274 00:13:51,967 --> 00:13:53,600 get a little bigger hop, you know, 275 00:13:53,600 --> 00:13:55,734 so material will move faster. 276 00:13:56,667 --> 00:13:57,900 If we don't have a Black Pearl, 277 00:13:57,900 --> 00:13:59,800 we still have to run material. 278 00:14:00,567 --> 00:14:02,066 Now, it... it comes down... 279 00:14:02,066 --> 00:14:04,000 Boils right down to this plant. 280 00:14:04,467 --> 00:14:06,600 If we raise the hopper, 281 00:14:06,600 --> 00:14:09,266 we can, uh, probably double 282 00:14:09,266 --> 00:14:11,300 dirt coming out of this one. 283 00:14:11,667 --> 00:14:12,767 -Okay. -All right. 284 00:14:12,767 --> 00:14:14,300 -Let's do it. -Sounds good. 285 00:14:15,667 --> 00:14:18,767 [narrator] To process more pay dirt through the Jack Rabbit, 286 00:14:18,767 --> 00:14:23,266 the crew plans to elevate the wash plants hopper by 30 degrees. 287 00:14:23,266 --> 00:14:25,567 But moving the hopper is risky, 288 00:14:25,567 --> 00:14:28,100 as it can easily collide with the plant 289 00:14:28,100 --> 00:14:29,600 and cause major damage. 290 00:14:30,066 --> 00:14:31,900 Okay. We're good to go. 291 00:14:31,900 --> 00:14:33,567 [Hunter on comms] All right. Coming up. 292 00:14:33,567 --> 00:14:36,700 [narrator] If that happens, the team will only have the Holy Roller 293 00:14:36,700 --> 00:14:39,000 to get them through the rest of this season. 294 00:14:39,567 --> 00:14:41,100 I don't have any more boom up, 295 00:14:41,100 --> 00:14:44,200 so we have to go real short with it or do something. 296 00:14:44,200 --> 00:14:46,867 I'd have to track farther away and then try to lift it. 297 00:14:46,867 --> 00:14:48,266 [Todd on comms] All right. 298 00:14:51,100 --> 00:14:52,266 -[Hunter] Okay. Hold that. Hold that. -[Tater] Whoa! 299 00:14:52,266 --> 00:14:53,200 -[Hunter] Hold that. -[Tater] Easy. 300 00:14:55,500 --> 00:14:57,867 [Hunter] Stick out. There you go. Out now. 301 00:14:57,867 --> 00:14:59,867 -Cool. -All right! 302 00:14:59,867 --> 00:15:01,667 [Jim] Well, that probably is it. 303 00:15:01,667 --> 00:15:03,000 How are we looking, Jack? 304 00:15:03,000 --> 00:15:05,300 -That's pretty damn good right there. -Is that where you want it? 305 00:15:05,300 --> 00:15:06,900 -Yeah. Yeah. -[Sparky] Yeah? 306 00:15:08,800 --> 00:15:11,667 [Jack] Okay. There's no pinch places here. 307 00:15:11,667 --> 00:15:13,166 So there is right here. 308 00:15:13,166 --> 00:15:15,266 -[man] Yep. -So I would zip tie this to that. 309 00:15:15,266 --> 00:15:19,100 -That down here and you're done there. -[man] Okay. 310 00:15:20,767 --> 00:15:24,166 [Hudson] When I saw my grandpa making this plant, uh, back home, 311 00:15:24,166 --> 00:15:27,100 I thought it was cool, but I didn't really think we would be using it, 312 00:15:27,100 --> 00:15:30,200 uh, any much more than just a test plant. 313 00:15:30,200 --> 00:15:32,667 For us to help him run a plant that 314 00:15:32,667 --> 00:15:35,734 he made for his last season, it means a lot. 315 00:15:38,400 --> 00:15:39,834 -Want me to hold it right here? -[Jack bleeps] 316 00:15:40,500 --> 00:15:42,867 Oh, God. Oh, God! 317 00:15:42,867 --> 00:15:44,600 [Jack groaning and inhaling] 318 00:15:44,600 --> 00:15:46,367 [Hudson] All right, let's just... Let's not do anything. 319 00:15:46,367 --> 00:15:48,367 [Jack] Yeah. No, just get it on now. 320 00:15:48,367 --> 00:15:50,567 Get it over that hook. There we go. 321 00:15:50,567 --> 00:15:52,333 Good. Okay. 322 00:15:53,300 --> 00:15:55,700 [bleeping and groaning] 323 00:15:56,967 --> 00:15:58,233 [exhales] 324 00:15:59,166 --> 00:16:00,200 [groans] 325 00:16:05,867 --> 00:16:07,433 [exhales deeply] 326 00:16:08,500 --> 00:16:09,934 -[Hudson] You all right? -[Jack exhales] 327 00:16:10,500 --> 00:16:11,500 Yeah. 328 00:16:12,467 --> 00:16:13,767 [exhales] 329 00:16:13,767 --> 00:16:15,367 [Hudson] Wanna just go back and lay down? 330 00:16:15,367 --> 00:16:17,767 [Jack] No, uh, no. I'm okay right now. 331 00:16:17,767 --> 00:16:19,500 [Hudson] It's not worth hurting yourself over this. 332 00:16:19,500 --> 00:16:20,600 -We can do it. -[Jack exclaims] 333 00:16:21,100 --> 00:16:23,967 [Jack] God. I'm 78 years old. 334 00:16:23,967 --> 00:16:26,734 Not many people were alive at 78. 335 00:16:27,200 --> 00:16:30,734 But I'm here and I'm not... 336 00:16:32,000 --> 00:16:34,500 gonna quit on this plant. 337 00:16:36,900 --> 00:16:39,300 All right. Looks good. Let's give it a try. 338 00:16:39,300 --> 00:16:41,033 [Jack] I'll start the genny. 339 00:16:44,467 --> 00:16:46,166 We're firing it up! 340 00:16:46,166 --> 00:16:49,600 I think it's gonna turn out all right, I hope. 341 00:16:49,600 --> 00:16:52,934 [machines whirring] 342 00:16:53,567 --> 00:16:55,767 This is how you speed it up, 343 00:16:55,767 --> 00:16:58,000 and this is how you slow it down. 344 00:16:58,200 --> 00:16:59,800 This is slow. 345 00:17:01,967 --> 00:17:04,667 -This is a little faster. -[machines whirring faster] 346 00:17:04,667 --> 00:17:06,867 Faster it's going, 347 00:17:06,867 --> 00:17:09,367 faster it'll move the rocks along, 348 00:17:09,367 --> 00:17:11,467 jumping on this conveyor belt. 349 00:17:11,467 --> 00:17:13,867 Hey, Thurb, we're going to fire up the water, 350 00:17:13,867 --> 00:17:16,367 and, uh, let's bring it up 351 00:17:16,367 --> 00:17:18,967 another 100 rpm from where we started. 352 00:17:18,967 --> 00:17:22,867 Hey, there, we're at, uh, 1200 rpm. 353 00:17:22,867 --> 00:17:24,266 [Randy] All right, go ahead and run it up. 354 00:17:24,266 --> 00:17:25,934 Just give her all she's got. 355 00:17:30,367 --> 00:17:32,233 All right. See if the dirt's coming in. 356 00:17:34,066 --> 00:17:37,433 Okay, Hunter, go ahead and start feeding it. 357 00:17:47,266 --> 00:17:50,000 Here we go. First bucket of the plateau... 358 00:17:51,667 --> 00:17:54,567 after we get the modifications on the Jack Rabbit, 359 00:17:54,567 --> 00:17:56,033 so we'll see if it works. 360 00:17:59,867 --> 00:18:02,200 Pretty good. Looks perfect. 361 00:18:03,967 --> 00:18:06,367 Rocks are coming off clean. 362 00:18:06,367 --> 00:18:08,433 Shaker duct seems like it's working good. 363 00:18:09,166 --> 00:18:11,300 I think we actually... 364 00:18:11,300 --> 00:18:13,300 made some major improvements to this thing. 365 00:18:15,400 --> 00:18:17,100 [Hudson] Everything looks good so far. 366 00:18:17,100 --> 00:18:18,900 We cranked everything up and... 367 00:18:20,100 --> 00:18:22,667 now we're really moving 368 00:18:22,667 --> 00:18:24,300 about twice as much dirt now. 369 00:18:26,000 --> 00:18:30,000 Should be able to run 375 yards an hour on this bad boy. 370 00:18:35,200 --> 00:18:39,266 [Jack] It really is exciting to see Jack Rabbit run, and, uh... 371 00:18:39,266 --> 00:18:41,467 it worked pretty darn good 372 00:18:41,467 --> 00:18:44,400 for, you know, what I expected. 373 00:18:56,867 --> 00:18:59,000 [Todd] How's the plateau dirt running? 374 00:18:59,467 --> 00:19:00,700 The dirt is running good. 375 00:19:00,700 --> 00:19:02,967 -It's the... the haul that's killing us. -[Todd] Yeah. 376 00:19:02,967 --> 00:19:05,266 It's tough to keep up the plant, but... 377 00:19:05,266 --> 00:19:07,266 I mean, we don't have any other dirt at the moment. 378 00:19:07,266 --> 00:19:10,367 So, I mean, it's just... it's just a grind. 379 00:19:10,367 --> 00:19:12,867 Running out of time is the main thing, 380 00:19:12,867 --> 00:19:15,000 and it's a long haul. 381 00:19:15,000 --> 00:19:17,467 But what if we go ahead and just... 382 00:19:17,467 --> 00:19:20,166 bite the bullet and run at night? 383 00:19:20,166 --> 00:19:22,166 Maybe have the young guys run a night. 384 00:19:22,166 --> 00:19:25,567 Maybe us jump in there, run in the day. 385 00:19:25,567 --> 00:19:28,667 So you wanna haul dirt at night is what you're saying? 386 00:19:28,667 --> 00:19:30,967 Yeah. We're gonna have to haul dirt at night. 387 00:19:30,967 --> 00:19:35,367 If we run 24/7, we still should be okay for a good weigh-in. 388 00:19:35,367 --> 00:19:38,066 I know it's not ideal, but... 389 00:19:38,066 --> 00:19:41,000 I mean, we've run lots of night shifts, 390 00:19:41,000 --> 00:19:42,500 but we don't... we don't truck at night. 391 00:19:42,500 --> 00:19:45,367 -Okay. -Because, I mean, they can't see. 392 00:19:45,367 --> 00:19:46,433 They can see what's in front of them, 393 00:19:46,433 --> 00:19:48,100 but they can't see alongside, behind them, and... 394 00:19:48,100 --> 00:19:49,066 [Todd] We're gonna have to. 395 00:19:49,066 --> 00:19:51,467 We're just gonna have to be careful and drive. 396 00:19:51,467 --> 00:19:54,467 You've got lights, you've got backup cameras. You know? 397 00:19:54,467 --> 00:19:57,266 Have a guy out there loading, and we're just gonna truck at night. 398 00:19:57,266 --> 00:19:58,900 I mean, we've tried it before and done it before. 399 00:19:58,900 --> 00:20:01,166 We've always stopped it because it just got too dangerous. 400 00:20:01,166 --> 00:20:03,100 But, I mean, at this point in the season, 401 00:20:03,100 --> 00:20:05,066 I guess we don't have a lot of choice. 402 00:20:05,066 --> 00:20:06,800 I'll tell the guys we're gonna swap it up. 403 00:20:06,800 --> 00:20:08,166 You and I are gonna probably have to help out 404 00:20:08,166 --> 00:20:09,700 -during the day. -[Todd] Yep. 405 00:20:09,700 --> 00:20:11,934 And running some plants, and hopefully these guys... 406 00:20:12,567 --> 00:20:13,700 can keep it going. You know? 407 00:20:13,700 --> 00:20:15,500 If something happens... 408 00:20:16,000 --> 00:20:17,867 we're done. Let's pull the plug. 409 00:20:17,867 --> 00:20:20,700 -Just make sure it's safe, that's all. -Yep. Okay. Yeah. 410 00:20:33,967 --> 00:20:36,266 [Tater] So we're starting to see the effects of winter 411 00:20:36,266 --> 00:20:37,734 closing in. 412 00:20:38,567 --> 00:20:41,367 We keep seeing geese and sandhill cranes flying overhead, 413 00:20:41,367 --> 00:20:43,934 which means it's getting colder. 414 00:20:43,934 --> 00:20:45,934 Uh, the winter's really starting to set in, 415 00:20:45,934 --> 00:20:48,400 and this is where it gets tough, really tough. 416 00:20:48,400 --> 00:20:51,533 Anytime you do anything, you're fighting the weather. 417 00:20:53,367 --> 00:20:55,300 [Todd] I'm shooting for a big weigh in this week, 418 00:20:55,300 --> 00:20:57,467 so we're gonna pull out all the stops. 419 00:20:57,467 --> 00:21:00,066 So we got Jack's plant ready to run full time. 420 00:21:00,066 --> 00:21:03,200 We have the young guys prepping to run the night shift. 421 00:21:03,200 --> 00:21:04,867 And then, me and the older guys, 422 00:21:04,867 --> 00:21:06,667 we're going to run the day shift. 423 00:21:06,667 --> 00:21:08,600 It's going to be hard, but you know what? 424 00:21:08,600 --> 00:21:11,767 It might be worth it if we can get a mound of gold 425 00:21:11,767 --> 00:21:14,133 on that scale at the end of the week. 426 00:21:22,166 --> 00:21:24,200 [Sparky sighs] Here we go, man. 427 00:21:26,266 --> 00:21:28,000 -[Dakota] Yep. -[Sparky] Yeah. 428 00:21:28,000 --> 00:21:30,033 [Dakota] I've never started this, have you? 429 00:21:30,033 --> 00:21:31,667 [device cranking] 430 00:21:31,667 --> 00:21:33,333 [Sparky] Well, we can figure it out. 431 00:21:44,667 --> 00:21:45,800 Dude... 432 00:21:47,100 --> 00:21:49,100 It could be perfect for me. 433 00:21:49,100 --> 00:21:50,934 I've ran the night shift before. 434 00:21:50,934 --> 00:21:52,600 There is safety concerns. 435 00:21:52,600 --> 00:21:55,100 It can be dangerous, but this is gonna be worth it 436 00:21:55,100 --> 00:21:57,667 because it can literally put gold in my pocket. 437 00:21:57,667 --> 00:22:00,066 -All right, we're lit up. -[Dakota] Here we go. 438 00:22:00,066 --> 00:22:01,567 We're ready for the night shift. 439 00:22:01,567 --> 00:22:03,000 [Dakota] All right, let's do it. 440 00:22:04,266 --> 00:22:06,266 -All right, man. -[Dakota] See you, dawg. 441 00:22:06,266 --> 00:22:09,166 [Sparky] In hopes that we can reach our 1,023-ounce goal, 442 00:22:09,166 --> 00:22:11,266 we got to run through the night. 443 00:22:11,266 --> 00:22:13,500 It's the only way we're gonna get to that goal. 444 00:22:19,200 --> 00:22:23,066 I'm really hoping that this plateau dirt that we're running is rich. 445 00:22:23,066 --> 00:22:24,934 We tested it, but you really never know 446 00:22:24,934 --> 00:22:26,667 how good it is until you run it. 447 00:22:26,667 --> 00:22:28,667 If this plateau dirt doesn't pay off, 448 00:22:28,667 --> 00:22:30,900 I may have to go back and do bounce houses. 449 00:22:34,767 --> 00:22:37,166 [Hunter] This is our first night doing night shift. 450 00:22:37,166 --> 00:22:38,567 I'm on the Jack Rabbit. 451 00:22:38,567 --> 00:22:41,400 We got the rest of the boys on the Holy Roller. 452 00:22:41,400 --> 00:22:44,200 Really just trying to set a good pace. 453 00:22:45,100 --> 00:22:47,367 Keep an eye on what we can, even though it's dark 454 00:22:47,367 --> 00:22:50,567 and, uh, the goal is to make it through the night 455 00:22:50,567 --> 00:22:52,667 without any breakdowns or any issues. 456 00:22:52,667 --> 00:22:55,266 So then we can get some more gold out of here 457 00:22:55,266 --> 00:22:57,600 before we get froze out, so... 458 00:22:58,934 --> 00:23:01,133 We're running some of this pay from the plateau, 459 00:23:01,133 --> 00:23:03,133 and I'm hoping when we shut down, 460 00:23:03,133 --> 00:23:04,967 we have some good gold in the box, 461 00:23:04,967 --> 00:23:06,800 but right now, it's our only option. 462 00:23:14,834 --> 00:23:17,000 [Sterling speaking on radio] 463 00:23:18,500 --> 00:23:20,000 [Hudson on radio] Yeah, what's up? 464 00:23:22,867 --> 00:23:26,266 I'm being safe as I can, but can't see that good. 465 00:23:26,266 --> 00:23:27,700 How are you doing? 466 00:23:33,367 --> 00:23:35,867 Straight back, Toby. 467 00:23:35,867 --> 00:23:38,900 Keep going. Little to your right. Little to your right. 468 00:23:46,000 --> 00:23:48,200 Yeah, right there. Go ahead, dump it. 469 00:23:54,500 --> 00:23:58,000 [Sparky sighs] You know, this night shift isn't for everybody, 470 00:23:58,000 --> 00:24:00,567 and I've ran night shift before on this mine. 471 00:24:00,567 --> 00:24:01,800 It's not my favorite. 472 00:24:01,800 --> 00:24:06,367 It's hard. You can't see, it gets tiring, it gets boring. 473 00:24:06,367 --> 00:24:08,100 I get cross-eyed. 474 00:24:09,934 --> 00:24:12,400 I'm barely keeping my eyes open right now. 475 00:24:13,767 --> 00:24:16,200 It's been a tough season, especially for Todd. 476 00:24:16,200 --> 00:24:17,767 He's got a lot on the table. 477 00:24:17,767 --> 00:24:20,033 He's pushing for more gold in the box, 478 00:24:20,033 --> 00:24:22,667 and the least I can do is just work my ass off for him 479 00:24:22,667 --> 00:24:23,834 so we reach our goal. 480 00:24:23,834 --> 00:24:26,467 Plus, I wanna make sure I leave here 481 00:24:26,467 --> 00:24:28,500 with some serious gold in my pocket. 482 00:24:44,133 --> 00:24:45,900 [man groans] 483 00:24:46,767 --> 00:24:49,000 -[Tater] How's it going? -Yeah, here you go, dude. 484 00:24:49,000 --> 00:24:50,233 [Tater] All right, man. 485 00:24:50,767 --> 00:24:51,900 [Sterling] I'm beat. 486 00:24:54,100 --> 00:24:55,133 [Andy] How'd it go? 487 00:24:55,133 --> 00:24:56,567 [Dakota] Like clockwork. 488 00:24:56,567 --> 00:24:57,967 -Like clockwork? -Always. 489 00:24:57,967 --> 00:25:01,200 Always does for you. Tomorrow night. 490 00:25:01,200 --> 00:25:03,133 -[Jack] Hey. How'd it go? -What's up? 491 00:25:03,133 --> 00:25:05,166 [Jack] Well, pretty good? 492 00:25:05,166 --> 00:25:07,133 [Hunter] The plant's running good. 493 00:25:07,133 --> 00:25:09,133 Right now, everybody's tapped out, 494 00:25:09,133 --> 00:25:11,367 and so I don't know how many more nights we can do this, 495 00:25:11,367 --> 00:25:13,700 but it's what we've got to do right now. 496 00:25:19,300 --> 00:25:20,400 Night, boys. 497 00:25:25,767 --> 00:25:27,867 Keep going, guys. Good job. 498 00:25:31,500 --> 00:25:33,266 It's been a tough season. 499 00:25:33,266 --> 00:25:37,834 In my own way, I'm just trying to make my dad's dreams stay alive. 500 00:25:37,834 --> 00:25:40,400 You know, when you have a good dad like I've had, 501 00:25:40,400 --> 00:25:42,734 you just want to honor him the best you can. 502 00:25:42,734 --> 00:25:44,767 And, you know, even though it's been tough, 503 00:25:44,767 --> 00:25:48,500 this this whole season has been really hard on me. 504 00:25:48,500 --> 00:25:51,500 So I'm not in a good place. But you know what? 505 00:25:51,500 --> 00:25:54,100 I'll do everything I can to finish strong for my dad. 506 00:26:01,166 --> 00:26:03,033 [Jack] You know, I built this plant at home 507 00:26:03,033 --> 00:26:06,166 and nobody expected the little Jack Rabbit 508 00:26:06,166 --> 00:26:08,367 to do as well as it's doing. 509 00:26:08,367 --> 00:26:11,433 But I think it might make us get to our gold. 510 00:26:13,166 --> 00:26:15,967 You know, I can't say what it means to me 511 00:26:15,967 --> 00:26:18,867 to come through for this group of guys. 512 00:26:18,867 --> 00:26:21,300 Todd's had a really rough season, 513 00:26:21,300 --> 00:26:24,834 and I'm really proud of him that he's, uh, stuck with it 514 00:26:24,834 --> 00:26:25,900 and he's led the guys 515 00:26:25,900 --> 00:26:30,266 and he has to step up the plate, hit a home run. 516 00:26:30,266 --> 00:26:32,700 You got to go through it to be a winner. 517 00:26:41,266 --> 00:26:42,667 Well, did you get some sleep? 518 00:26:42,667 --> 00:26:44,467 -Yeah. Yeah, I'm ready to go. -[Jack] Yeah? 519 00:26:44,467 --> 00:26:46,033 -All right. See you then. -[Hunter] Slow and steady. 520 00:26:46,033 --> 00:26:47,400 All right. 521 00:26:49,166 --> 00:26:51,433 -[Sparky] What's up, man? -[Todd] You ready for a... 522 00:26:52,200 --> 00:26:54,100 Ready for another all-nighter? 523 00:26:54,100 --> 00:26:56,467 I can go all day. I can go all night, old man. 524 00:26:56,467 --> 00:26:58,033 All right, buddy. I love you, man. 525 00:26:58,033 --> 00:26:59,266 Have a good one. Be careful. 526 00:26:59,266 --> 00:27:00,734 [Sparky] All right, dude. [grunts] 527 00:27:11,367 --> 00:27:12,700 How you holding up, boys? 528 00:27:12,700 --> 00:27:16,600 I'm doing okay. It's kind of a long haul, and my eyeballs hurt. 529 00:27:17,600 --> 00:27:19,100 [Dakota on radio] All right, just step it up. 530 00:27:19,100 --> 00:27:20,867 Just gotta go all night. 531 00:27:20,867 --> 00:27:25,266 I thought taking care of my daughter when she was a newborn was rough, 532 00:27:25,266 --> 00:27:27,900 but this is a whole new level of sleep deprivation. 533 00:27:31,166 --> 00:27:35,100 [Sterling] I really hope we have a big, you know, gold weigh in this week. 534 00:27:35,100 --> 00:27:36,834 I think we could all use the money. 535 00:27:36,834 --> 00:27:38,467 And, you know, the only way to do that 536 00:27:38,467 --> 00:27:40,500 is to, you know, push through the night. 537 00:27:43,066 --> 00:27:44,867 Shout out to Bagels, my dog. 538 00:27:44,867 --> 00:27:45,934 Uh, hopefully, when I get home, 539 00:27:45,934 --> 00:27:49,300 we can take this gold, buy a house with a big yard. 540 00:28:07,567 --> 00:28:10,066 -[crashes] -[Sparky] Oh, [bleep] 541 00:28:11,266 --> 00:28:12,800 Sparky, are you good? 542 00:28:14,967 --> 00:28:16,400 [on radio] Sparky, what just happened? 543 00:28:22,166 --> 00:28:24,400 -[crashes] -[Sparky] Oh, [bleep] 544 00:28:24,400 --> 00:28:27,166 No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no. 545 00:28:27,166 --> 00:28:29,333 Sparky, are you good? What's happened? 546 00:28:29,333 --> 00:28:32,000 I hit the back of the frickin' hopper, dude. 547 00:28:35,400 --> 00:28:36,934 I just hit the back of the hopper. 548 00:28:36,934 --> 00:28:38,734 I really didn't mean to. 549 00:28:38,734 --> 00:28:39,767 I'm super tired. 550 00:28:39,767 --> 00:28:44,567 I'm exhausted, like, I just, I really messed up. 551 00:28:44,567 --> 00:28:45,934 I really did. 552 00:28:45,934 --> 00:28:48,900 All right, just be careful, dude. Just go slow. 553 00:28:49,567 --> 00:28:51,166 Just go easy as we can. 554 00:28:51,166 --> 00:28:54,567 [Sparky groans] The slower we go, the more sleepy I get, dude. 555 00:28:54,567 --> 00:28:56,834 I don't think this night shift's for me, dude. 556 00:28:56,834 --> 00:28:58,667 [Dakota on radio] All right. 557 00:28:58,667 --> 00:29:01,066 I know that we're all striving for the same goal. 558 00:29:01,066 --> 00:29:02,567 But you know what? 559 00:29:02,567 --> 00:29:04,734 I think this is infringing on our safety, 560 00:29:04,734 --> 00:29:08,266 and I think that we should look at the bigger picture. 561 00:29:08,266 --> 00:29:10,000 [on radio] Man, this is not good. 562 00:29:10,834 --> 00:29:12,400 [Dakota] All right. We'll figure something out. 563 00:29:13,066 --> 00:29:14,166 [radio beeps] 564 00:29:44,166 --> 00:29:45,467 Not so good. 565 00:29:45,467 --> 00:29:46,700 Why not so good? 566 00:29:47,667 --> 00:29:49,667 The guys are saying it's a long haul. 567 00:29:49,667 --> 00:29:52,700 Can't really see, having trouble staying awake. 568 00:29:53,367 --> 00:29:55,667 -It's dark. -[Dakota] I know. 569 00:29:55,667 --> 00:29:57,500 And then, part way through the shift, 570 00:29:57,500 --> 00:29:58,734 Sparky hit the hopper. 571 00:29:58,734 --> 00:30:00,066 He hit the plant? 572 00:30:00,867 --> 00:30:02,367 Can't be hitting the plant. 573 00:30:02,367 --> 00:30:03,967 -[Dakota speaking] -Or wrecking stuff. 574 00:30:03,967 --> 00:30:05,500 That's why I don't like night shift. 575 00:30:06,333 --> 00:30:08,734 All right. Well, we'll get her going, okay? 576 00:30:17,967 --> 00:30:19,667 -[sighs] -[Todd] How you doing? 577 00:30:19,667 --> 00:30:21,734 -Not good, dude. -Really? Why? 578 00:30:21,734 --> 00:30:24,600 -Uh, I hit... I hit the frickin' hopper, dude. -No way. 579 00:30:24,600 --> 00:30:26,400 -[Sparky] All right. -[Todd] Go get some rest. 580 00:30:26,400 --> 00:30:27,867 [Sparky] Thanks, man. 581 00:30:34,934 --> 00:30:36,867 [Todd] I was hoping for a big weigh in for the guys, 582 00:30:36,867 --> 00:30:40,066 but this isn't the way to keep the morale up. 583 00:30:40,066 --> 00:30:43,033 Their safety is more important than anything else. 584 00:30:43,033 --> 00:30:46,767 So we're going to have a meeting after we run today, 585 00:30:46,767 --> 00:30:50,400 and we're going to decide if we want to continue these night shifts. 586 00:31:20,166 --> 00:31:22,333 Well, what are you guys thinkin', night crew? 587 00:31:22,333 --> 00:31:23,800 We're having some issues. 588 00:31:24,767 --> 00:31:26,100 I hate it. 589 00:31:27,033 --> 00:31:28,834 I'm super tired every day, 590 00:31:28,834 --> 00:31:31,834 and it's, like, getting dangerous, you know? 591 00:31:31,834 --> 00:31:34,000 We need sleep. Everybody needs to sleep more. 592 00:31:37,000 --> 00:31:39,667 I think they've been working over 110 hours a week. 593 00:31:39,667 --> 00:31:42,333 And they get rewarded by workin' nights now. 594 00:31:42,333 --> 00:31:44,567 I know none of us want to do it. 595 00:31:44,567 --> 00:31:46,867 And we're in a tight spot. We need to get more gold. 596 00:31:46,867 --> 00:31:48,133 But... 597 00:31:48,133 --> 00:31:50,967 I think there's some diminishing returns at a certain point. 598 00:31:50,967 --> 00:31:52,333 If we're gonna break something 599 00:31:52,333 --> 00:31:54,767 or someone's gonna make a huge issue 600 00:31:54,767 --> 00:31:57,467 and drive a truck into a pond or something, it's not really worth it. 601 00:31:58,367 --> 00:32:00,066 I definitely don't want anybody to get hurt. 602 00:32:00,066 --> 00:32:02,100 I think it's coming down to a safety issue, 603 00:32:02,100 --> 00:32:05,367 and when you can't see, it becomes a problem. 604 00:32:05,367 --> 00:32:07,266 [Sparky] Well, it's just not worth it either, 605 00:32:07,266 --> 00:32:08,767 'cause that's your investment. 606 00:32:08,767 --> 00:32:12,500 And I just hit it last night, the back of the hopper. 607 00:32:12,500 --> 00:32:14,767 Something else, you know, worse could have happened. 608 00:32:14,767 --> 00:32:17,600 I'm cross-eyed and it's dark 609 00:32:17,600 --> 00:32:19,967 and I just don't want to do it. 610 00:32:21,734 --> 00:32:23,834 I was just trying to think outside the box 611 00:32:23,834 --> 00:32:26,066 and try to get as much gold as we can, 612 00:32:26,066 --> 00:32:27,667 and probably was not a good idea. 613 00:32:27,667 --> 00:32:28,734 We're already tired. 614 00:32:28,734 --> 00:32:30,967 Things are already going wrong. 615 00:32:30,967 --> 00:32:33,600 Let's be honest. This season... [chuckles] 616 00:32:33,600 --> 00:32:36,266 You know, I'm still trying to find the good in it, 617 00:32:36,266 --> 00:32:39,700 and I'm looking for the good, and, um... 618 00:32:41,033 --> 00:32:46,400 In my opinion, the only good coming out of this season is 619 00:32:46,400 --> 00:32:49,400 that we're all still here. We're all still a team. 620 00:32:49,934 --> 00:32:51,567 And the, you know, 621 00:32:51,567 --> 00:32:54,166 if this is just ruining the experience, 622 00:32:54,166 --> 00:32:55,533 it's not worth it. 623 00:32:56,266 --> 00:32:57,400 So you guys vote. 624 00:32:57,400 --> 00:32:59,767 You tell me. 625 00:32:59,767 --> 00:33:03,600 -My vote is we don't do the night shift. -[Todd] Nick? 626 00:33:04,133 --> 00:33:05,166 I agree. 627 00:33:05,166 --> 00:33:07,166 Yeah. I don't wanna do it anymore. 628 00:33:08,166 --> 00:33:09,967 I would call off the night shift. 629 00:33:10,667 --> 00:33:12,467 I think we need to end night shift. 630 00:33:12,467 --> 00:33:13,634 Um... 631 00:33:14,467 --> 00:33:16,033 You know, we don't want to end this season 632 00:33:16,033 --> 00:33:18,767 with any more things going wrong, in my opinion. 633 00:33:18,767 --> 00:33:22,066 So, you know, health as first priority 634 00:33:22,066 --> 00:33:23,600 and just try to leave here... 635 00:33:24,066 --> 00:33:25,600 Um, with no more issues. 636 00:33:26,133 --> 00:33:27,734 We'll cancel night shift. 637 00:33:28,166 --> 00:33:29,400 Hopefully, we'll get our... 638 00:33:30,266 --> 00:33:32,166 Get a little bit of our joy back. 639 00:33:32,166 --> 00:33:33,333 That's... That's tough. 640 00:33:34,867 --> 00:33:37,133 Sorry about that. Probably not a great idea right now, 641 00:33:37,133 --> 00:33:40,133 but I want the best for this little company, 642 00:33:40,133 --> 00:33:42,000 and I want the best for you guys, 643 00:33:42,000 --> 00:33:43,734 and I want you guys to get some rest. 644 00:33:43,734 --> 00:33:47,033 I want you guys to smile, I want you guys to hang out, 645 00:33:47,033 --> 00:33:51,367 and let's try to make some good memories on the way out of here. 646 00:33:51,367 --> 00:33:55,166 And, uh, you know, we'll live to fight again another day 647 00:33:55,166 --> 00:33:57,400 and try to finish the season strong. 648 00:33:58,567 --> 00:33:59,967 You guys go get some rest. 649 00:34:01,667 --> 00:34:02,800 Will do. 650 00:34:03,400 --> 00:34:04,700 Especially you, Sparky. 651 00:34:06,133 --> 00:34:08,767 I knew I needed a big weigh in this week. 652 00:34:08,767 --> 00:34:12,100 Otherwise, I was risking losing all the guys. 653 00:34:12,100 --> 00:34:14,467 I'm running the new plateau pay dirt, 654 00:34:14,467 --> 00:34:15,934 and you know what? 655 00:34:15,934 --> 00:34:17,600 It's unproven pay dirt, 656 00:34:17,600 --> 00:34:20,266 and I might have pushed the guys a little too hard. 657 00:34:20,266 --> 00:34:22,266 But I want to show the guys 658 00:34:22,266 --> 00:34:24,800 that their efforts can pay off in gold. 659 00:34:26,367 --> 00:34:28,133 [Hunter] Okay, can we go to bed now? 660 00:34:39,266 --> 00:34:42,266 What do you think about all this winterization, like, what... 661 00:34:42,266 --> 00:34:44,767 Do you have any idea what's going on? 662 00:34:44,767 --> 00:34:49,266 [Nick] No idea. I just know I'm just here to make everybody's job easier 663 00:34:49,266 --> 00:34:51,000 and pull as much weight as I can. 664 00:34:51,000 --> 00:34:53,734 [Sparky] I'm, like, actually surprised how well you're doing. 665 00:34:53,734 --> 00:34:55,133 [Nick chuckles] That's all you, buddy. 666 00:34:55,133 --> 00:34:57,066 [Sparky] You're doing better than what I did my first year of mining. 667 00:34:57,066 --> 00:34:59,533 It's, like, my first time up in Alaska, like, 668 00:34:59,533 --> 00:35:01,467 out... going out of the state, 669 00:35:01,467 --> 00:35:04,033 out of Oregon, you know, 'cause, like, I've been in Oregon 670 00:35:04,033 --> 00:35:05,166 for my entire life, so... 671 00:35:05,166 --> 00:35:07,800 Well, you know where I get my inspiration from, buddy. 672 00:35:08,467 --> 00:35:10,734 -All you, my man. -[Sparky] Shoot, man. 673 00:35:10,734 --> 00:35:12,867 It's like an opportunity that I've never had before. 674 00:35:12,867 --> 00:35:15,467 So I'm just absorbing it as much as I can 675 00:35:15,467 --> 00:35:17,867 and taking whatever anyone can give me. 676 00:35:17,867 --> 00:35:20,667 -And I'm having a blast. -Little dude, I love you. 677 00:35:20,667 --> 00:35:22,667 You know, you're doing great. 678 00:35:22,667 --> 00:35:23,767 I'm proud of what you're doing. 679 00:35:23,767 --> 00:35:24,900 Couldn't have done it without you. 680 00:35:25,867 --> 00:35:26,600 Shut up. 681 00:35:26,600 --> 00:35:28,467 -[Nick laughing] -Just kidding. 682 00:35:28,467 --> 00:35:30,400 -Just kidding. I love you. -Come here. 683 00:35:45,934 --> 00:35:48,367 [Todd] I know the guys are down and tired, 684 00:35:48,367 --> 00:35:51,834 but we did still get three full days in 685 00:35:51,834 --> 00:35:54,767 running the Holy Roller and the Jack Rabbit. 686 00:35:54,767 --> 00:35:57,867 I have a feeling we're gonna see some big gold this week. 687 00:35:57,867 --> 00:35:59,533 And if we don't get gold, 688 00:35:59,533 --> 00:36:01,567 some of these guys are gonna just go home. 689 00:36:14,667 --> 00:36:16,767 [Sparky] All right, Nick, get on the other side. 690 00:36:16,767 --> 00:36:18,166 -Right here? -[Sparky] Yeah. 691 00:36:18,166 --> 00:36:19,867 You know, this... 692 00:36:19,867 --> 00:36:22,367 That night running, dude, I don't like 'em. 693 00:36:22,367 --> 00:36:24,467 -Ah. -It's really not my favorite choice. 694 00:36:24,467 --> 00:36:28,467 But unfortunately, it's what we had to do and hopefully it's, uh... 695 00:36:28,467 --> 00:36:30,400 Our hard efforts was actually worth it 696 00:36:31,000 --> 00:36:32,767 and shows up in the box. 697 00:36:32,767 --> 00:36:35,100 Man, I'm already pretty beat and exhausted. 698 00:36:35,100 --> 00:36:36,533 I can feel it in my bones. 699 00:36:36,533 --> 00:36:38,033 Winter's right around the corner. 700 00:36:38,033 --> 00:36:40,400 -Okay, well... -[Nick grunts] 701 00:36:42,033 --> 00:36:44,734 But this week's weigh in hopefully will reflect 702 00:36:44,734 --> 00:36:46,867 all our hard work we've put in. 703 00:36:46,867 --> 00:36:48,867 So what do you think? You seeing much in here? 704 00:36:49,934 --> 00:36:51,433 That looks pretty good. 705 00:36:51,433 --> 00:36:54,667 It's hard to tell, I mean, until you get it up there and start running it. 706 00:36:54,667 --> 00:36:57,867 Yeah. You shouldn't be able to see it if the box is working right. 707 00:36:57,867 --> 00:36:58,834 it should be in the hydraulics. 708 00:36:58,834 --> 00:36:59,800 -So... -[Dakota] Yeah. 709 00:36:59,800 --> 00:37:01,333 ...we'll just get what we can get out of this 710 00:37:01,333 --> 00:37:03,000 and run as much dirt as we can. 711 00:37:03,000 --> 00:37:06,166 So, let's get it to Jack and Thurber and let's see what we get, uh, 712 00:37:06,166 --> 00:37:07,000 we get out of this. 713 00:37:07,000 --> 00:37:09,100 Yeah, I hope we're getting good gold. 714 00:37:09,100 --> 00:37:11,600 Okay. Finish it up, guys. Thank you. 715 00:37:12,033 --> 00:37:13,233 Thanks, man. 716 00:37:23,934 --> 00:37:25,567 [Todd] All right, let's get started. 717 00:37:25,567 --> 00:37:27,233 As you know, it's getting cold. 718 00:37:28,033 --> 00:37:31,467 So we don't know how long we have. 719 00:37:31,467 --> 00:37:33,767 Everything could close in on us right now. 720 00:37:33,767 --> 00:37:38,066 Who knows when this season can end with this weather? 721 00:37:38,066 --> 00:37:41,000 If it got 15 degrees colder, 722 00:37:41,000 --> 00:37:43,100 -probably done, so... -[Sparky] Yeah. 723 00:37:43,767 --> 00:37:44,700 [Todd] All right. 724 00:37:44,700 --> 00:37:47,867 You know, the Black Pearl situation, uh... 725 00:37:47,867 --> 00:37:50,667 was really regrettable. Sorry about that. 726 00:37:51,867 --> 00:37:54,133 Me and Hunter spent a lot of hours welding, 727 00:37:54,133 --> 00:37:57,166 grinding just our blood, sweat and tears into this plant. 728 00:37:57,166 --> 00:38:01,567 And we trained the guys right, but it's out of our control. 729 00:38:01,567 --> 00:38:03,300 I will say it's really bad timing. 730 00:38:03,867 --> 00:38:05,133 Same as last year, 731 00:38:05,133 --> 00:38:08,233 it's, like, you know, right when you want it to run its best, 732 00:38:08,233 --> 00:38:10,333 we have a catastrophic breakdown. 733 00:38:10,333 --> 00:38:12,166 So that's the way it is. 734 00:38:12,166 --> 00:38:15,133 It seems like that's how it goes up here. 735 00:38:15,133 --> 00:38:17,634 So Holy Roller, and then your little guy, 736 00:38:17,634 --> 00:38:19,567 -Jack Rabbit. -[Jack chuckling] 737 00:38:19,567 --> 00:38:21,567 And, uh, we're going to run 'em both to the end. 738 00:38:21,567 --> 00:38:23,967 See what we can... Come out of these things. 739 00:38:23,967 --> 00:38:27,266 That's why I had you guys, you know, run the night shift. 740 00:38:27,266 --> 00:38:29,233 I know it was going to be risky. 741 00:38:29,233 --> 00:38:32,066 You know, it doesn't really matter what skill level you have in mining. 742 00:38:32,066 --> 00:38:34,266 It's, like, night shift is a different animal. 743 00:38:34,266 --> 00:38:36,333 It's, like, there's so many issues and you can have 744 00:38:36,333 --> 00:38:38,133 all the light plants you can have. 745 00:38:38,133 --> 00:38:39,533 But it's, like, it's... 746 00:38:39,533 --> 00:38:41,967 It's definitely... It's definitely a hard push 747 00:38:41,967 --> 00:38:43,867 and you're definitely risking it. 748 00:38:43,867 --> 00:38:46,066 [Todd] Well, we did get some night runs in, 749 00:38:46,066 --> 00:38:49,000 and, uh, let's hope it all pays off. 750 00:38:49,000 --> 00:38:51,100 Dad, you want to see what we get? 751 00:38:51,100 --> 00:38:52,967 All right. I'm gonna pour. 752 00:38:52,967 --> 00:38:56,333 -Well, that's a good sign. -Yeah. 753 00:38:56,333 --> 00:38:57,967 -[Todd] Yeah. -[Jack] Big jar. 754 00:38:57,967 --> 00:38:59,634 [narrator] In order to beat last season 755 00:38:59,634 --> 00:39:02,634 and hit their 1,023-ounce goal, 756 00:39:02,634 --> 00:39:06,066 the team still needs 258 ounces. 757 00:39:11,634 --> 00:39:12,900 [Jack] Yeah. 758 00:39:13,667 --> 00:39:17,100 Twenty. Got 40. 759 00:39:17,100 --> 00:39:19,500 Fifty, sixty. 760 00:39:20,266 --> 00:39:21,133 Seventy. 761 00:39:23,166 --> 00:39:24,500 Eighty. 762 00:39:25,834 --> 00:39:28,500 -Ninety. -Oh, my gosh, come on. 763 00:39:29,066 --> 00:39:30,300 [Jack] 100. 764 00:39:31,734 --> 00:39:34,700 106, 107, 108... 765 00:39:35,133 --> 00:39:37,066 111, 112... 766 00:39:39,266 --> 00:39:42,800 118, 119... 767 00:39:43,667 --> 00:39:45,467 120... 768 00:39:46,967 --> 00:39:50,567 121.7. 769 00:39:50,567 --> 00:39:53,367 -That's great. yeah, boys! -[Jack] Whoo! Whoo! 770 00:39:53,367 --> 00:39:55,100 Yeah! Whoo! 771 00:39:55,100 --> 00:39:57,133 [Sparky] That shift was worth it. 772 00:39:57,133 --> 00:39:58,567 -[Todd] We're getting there. -[Sparky] Whoa. 773 00:39:58,567 --> 00:40:00,433 [Jack] That's a nice pile of gold. 774 00:40:00,433 --> 00:40:01,634 Yeah, dude. 775 00:40:01,634 --> 00:40:03,634 I'm so pumped about this weigh in. 776 00:40:03,634 --> 00:40:05,433 The plateau dirt that we just ran through, 777 00:40:05,433 --> 00:40:07,667 well, it turns out it panned out good. 778 00:40:07,667 --> 00:40:09,867 So I think we're in the money here. 779 00:40:09,867 --> 00:40:12,200 Now I think we're headed towards our goal. 780 00:40:13,033 --> 00:40:14,166 [Todd] Nice. 781 00:40:14,166 --> 00:40:15,867 Well, that's pretty awesome. 782 00:40:15,867 --> 00:40:18,033 I mean, where are we at? 783 00:40:18,033 --> 00:40:21,166 We're at 886.7. 784 00:40:21,166 --> 00:40:22,767 Dude. All right, getting there. 785 00:40:22,767 --> 00:40:24,667 That helped out a ton. 786 00:40:24,667 --> 00:40:30,634 [narrator] With a 121.7-ounce haul, worth over $230,000, 787 00:40:30,634 --> 00:40:34,634 the Hoffmans now need to mine 136 more ounces 788 00:40:34,634 --> 00:40:38,000 before Alaska's harsh winter. freezes them out. 789 00:40:39,433 --> 00:40:41,233 [Todd] The pay dirt looks pretty good, huh? 790 00:40:41,233 --> 00:40:44,500 You know, when you have thawed gravels with no mud, 791 00:40:45,033 --> 00:40:46,567 there's no water in it, 792 00:40:46,567 --> 00:40:48,667 runs fast through the plant. 793 00:40:48,667 --> 00:40:51,467 It may not pay as well for hundred, 794 00:40:51,467 --> 00:40:53,567 but you can run it about twice as fast, 795 00:40:53,567 --> 00:40:56,266 so there's no stripping involved. 796 00:40:56,266 --> 00:40:59,166 Your costs go way down, so that's pretty dang good. 797 00:40:59,166 --> 00:41:00,667 -That's pretty dang good. -[Todd] That's awesome. 798 00:41:00,667 --> 00:41:02,266 But thank you for your sacrifice, guys. 799 00:41:02,266 --> 00:41:03,834 That run at night, it's not easy. 800 00:41:03,834 --> 00:41:05,767 But you did it, you ground it out. 801 00:41:05,767 --> 00:41:08,100 And it shows right here on the scale. 802 00:41:08,100 --> 00:41:09,533 Good job. 803 00:41:09,533 --> 00:41:11,266 You know what? It was a very tough week, 804 00:41:11,266 --> 00:41:14,667 but finally, we're getting the big numbers again. 805 00:41:14,667 --> 00:41:18,967 At this point, we've almost got $1.7 million worth of gold. 806 00:41:18,967 --> 00:41:21,367 It's not where we really wanted to be, 807 00:41:21,367 --> 00:41:24,266 but we're just about where we were last year 808 00:41:24,266 --> 00:41:25,700 and hopefully, we can beat it. 809 00:41:26,266 --> 00:41:27,333 All right, let's get to work.