Original subtitles

We had a really good season last year, and I don't know that we're going to be

able to match that.

The big challenge now isn't in mining. It's in staying ahead of the operation.

In the Yukon, Parker Schnabel is juggling his claims just seven weeks

mining season.

Right now, we're going to start stripping at Mud Mountain.

We've got half of the cut down in gravel, but it's just taking a lot of

We're spending a lot of money, and we need to start getting some revenue in.

Two and a half million dollars has been poured into Mud Mountain just to get

down to gold.

To keep funding this ambitious dig, Parker has hatched a plan.

Mud Mountain's definitely some of the deepest ground we've made.

So we're going to jump this tower of ground down at Kenneth Stewart's.

and start dripping down there.

Four miles west of Mud Mountain lies the promised land.

Leased from Ken Tatlow and Stuart Schmidt, it covers 2 ,000 acres.

Last season, Parker prepared a 20 -acre section, leaving just two feet of

overburden to remove.

So it's not going to take us much time once we get it all stripped and sluiced

it out.

You guys all know what needs to get done.

100%. And you're better at it than I am. So, Margie, let's get you stripping

down here and right away.

We need this place stripped in a week.

So, let's just focus on that.

And I will say everybody here is doing a great job right now.

All right. Thanks, guys.

Former Marine Robert Froggy Jourdainet oversees stripping the ground to pay

dirt.

Parker wants to have this ground ready to be sued and there's a lot of work to

be done.

Time is against us.

We really need to step it up to make it all happen.

It always seems like there's never enough people to do the job because

so much work to do.

So I'm happy to do whatever I can.

Veteran claim owner Cantatlo, eager to see a return on his investment, has

jumped into the massive D10 dozer.

We've had this ground for a long time and it's cost a lot of money to hold it.

And so it's good to start to see some royalties come in.

The team must move over 70 ,000 yards of dirt before revealing the promised land

hidden treasure.

I got two trucks now on my 100 loads per truck per day.

And that's a bare minimum.

And they know that.

They want to be miners. They got to perform.

That's bottom line.

At 18.

Evan Kurtz is getting a crack course in truck driving and keeping his boss

happy.

Claymona Ken's grandson, 22 -year -old Jordan Tatlow, is also cutting his teeth

as a rookie miner.

Just a second. Let's hit someone.

So there's only a couple of us down here.

Parker wants this thing to loosen, so a lot of dirt to move and not a lot of

time to move it.

You could be out of the military, but you can't take the military out of the

guy. And if you're going to do a job, you're going to do it to the best of

capabilities.

100 loads to hit. Come on.

So we're at 75 loads. I need 25 more loads out of you today.

Okay. Every seven minutes, Evan and Jordan must make the half -mile round

to the dump site and keep that pace for the entire 12 -hour shift.

Jesus Christ.

Most people my age and my friends are just out having fun drinking and

not thousands of kilometers away from their friends and family, working up in

the Yukon.

You know, working three weeks straight, seven days a week, 12 hours a day, and

no days off.

You have to realize when those kids came here, the biggest thing they probably

ever drove was a Honda Civic.

And now they're sitting in a truck who's got more horsepower than a NASCAR, and

they have to know what they're doing.

Evan is doing great.

Jordan, well, he could be doing better.

Coolant level low.

The container where the coolant fits is different from the other one.

I'm going to just spill it all over the place.

Unfamiliar with the truck, Jordan has to rely on plant boss Tyson Lee for a

simple engine service.

Don't worry.

Start it up. All right, thank you.

Just... So, honestly, right now,

Brock's always wanting to get 100

loads or more.

I've been keeping up.

Jordan's falling behind.

Okay, what's going on in there?

Wake up. Come on.

Sorry, boss. It's getting hot in here. I'm a bit tired.

Jesus. Come on.

You've got to be a little more on the ball.

I know that we're on Ken's grounds, and Jordan is his grandson, but he's going

to have to learn to run like everybody else.

I don't care about his feelings.

Bottom line is, you know, Parker put me in charge, so we're going to find out

what the problem is, and we're going to deal with it, because the other

alternative is he's out the door.

So somebody's going to have to talk to somebody.

I'm concerned about your production.

We're only doing like 70 loads a day.

First couple days were stressful. Yeah, because you've never been around. It's

all new crew to you and everything is new. So it's a little harder.

I know the hours are long.

It's hard work.

But once you really come around and get on to it, you'll enjoy it.

Yeah, I'll try to be more focused and try to maintain it for a whole 12 hour

Hopefully I'll get there

Since we're not making it to the Indian River, we're going to have to do a lot

of things around Paradise Hill.

King of the Klondike, Tony Beats, is on the ropes.

Denied a license to mine on Indian River, his team are now relying on him

stage a fight park on Paradise Hill.

only comes up with a new plan for us.

The Nugget Cup has been really successful this year.

That tunnel runs 24 hours a day, so you're running through a lot,

a lot, a lot of pain and dirt.

We're seriously running out of pipe in the Nugget Cup. As it stands right now,

if we run out for another week, we're going to be out.

We cannot run out of pipe. That will be Nugget.

Well,

we're almost running out there in the nugget cut.

Why don't we go over to closer to 80 -pops.

Oh, we're right in over there.

We have that nugget cut down there. So that's where it's going to be. It's

to be between that nugget cut and 80 -pops. There's a whole chunk there that

can take out.

We got a pizza promo.

We've been mining here for the last 30 years, so I know we won't be wasting our

time in this place.

So I think we should dig it up.

The 80 -pup creek lies 600 yards southwest of Tony's camp.

Earmarked is an 18 -acre site which Tony believes holds a pastry 40 feet thick

with almost... $4 million in gold.

With the nugget -cut

trommel still running hundreds of yards of gold -rich pay dirt, Tony throws the

rest of his crew at stripping the 80 -pop cut.

Put all the trucks in there.

We'll put my nephew in there again with a P -10 and we'll see what they can do.

My dad used to be on a dozer a lot and they said he was good at it. So they

of expected me to be good too.

So you really want to do a good job then to show that you can do it.

You don't want to let them down.

I'm from, we don't have many dozers because it's all flat already and

gold.

24 -year -old Michael Beetz arrived three months ago.

We'll give him a crash course, how's that?

Youngest son of Tony's brother Nick, Michael had never mined before.

Anyway, that's all good, so I don't have to send you back to your parents?

I don't think so. You're going to hang in there for a while?

Good.

I was working on a farm, so I had experience working with the sea.

As proof of his trust, Tony's put Michael in the massive 63 -ton D10

Tony is really honest.

If you're doing a good job, you'll hear it, and if you're not doing a good job,

you will also hear it. People find that honestly really scary, but Tony just

tells you how it is.

He does let everyone run the dozer, so I feel pretty honored, and I don't want

to disappoint him.

Tony's had a really high goal total for this season.

It's in the ground, so let's get it.

Eldest son and mechanic Kevin Beats has jumped into another D10, with Nugget Cup

pay still to mine.

It's all hands on deck.

Monica gone, I'd have to help take up the slack and clean up and digging and

that fun business, so I'd like to have a bit more help around too, because it

was getting really thin.

Back at Paradise Hill, the team need to hit pay before the nugget cut runs dry.

Megan, do you got a copy?

I just got stuck at the dump and I'm going to need a hand.

Oh, holy hell, there's a 100 -foot drop right underneath.

With the curtain full swing, the last thing new driver Elena Jensen or any of

the crew need is a truck stuck on the edge of a 100 -foot drop.

D6, we got a rock truck struck me, the D6.

Experienced operator Megan Cadet takes over at the wheel while young Michael

Beat brings in the D6.

This will be the first time I'll pull a rock truck out.

It's not the most ideal spot.

That's pretty close to your head.

Oh, yeah.

And it's super dangerous. If it does fall off and go 100 feet down, you

won't have time to get out in time.

It's cracking down there. It means it's going to slide. Yeah.

You can see them not sliding away.

That looks like a quick fix, but it could be pretty

dangerous to get it out of there.

A lot of stuff that can go wrong.

Well, we chose this claim.

I knew it was going to be more challenging.

But I think of myself as a bulldozer. There's a big mound in front of me right

now, but a dozer doesn't stop at anything.

It just pushes through.

We've run across a lot of problems getting down the gravel, but we can

start mining now.

Ex -Special Forces medic Fred Lewis has leased a remote 92 -acre claim 40 miles

from Dawson at California Creek.

Already a third of the way through the season, Fred and his skeleton crew have

only two ounces of gold to show for it.

Chris and I are headed out to get the wasp plant and get set up to start

some gold.

So this wasp plant is really cool, Chris.

It's a New Zealand -style straw mole, and that's why they call it the kiwi

plant, right?

It's going to fit our style and our scheme perfectly.

Runs about 55 to 60 yards an hour, maybe 65, and that's like one scoop a minute,

right?

$25 ,000 of Fred's investors' money has been spent upgrading a leaf trommel.

There she is, Christopher.

Yes, sir.

Now comes perhaps the hardest part of all, hauling the massive trommel all the

way back to the claim.

Look at this thing, yeah?

Yeah. Long time no see.

Yeah, how are you and Fred?

How have you been?

Yeah, got her all fixed up, do you?

We're going to give it a little tug and just see how it's going to move. Okay.

And then once we know it's going to come up, we'll just slowly bring her up on

the roll.

Time to ride.

Let's go.

Whoa!

Here we go!

He's on the deck.

We're ready to roll.

Ahead lies the Yukon River and the top of the world highway.

With new crew members too.

and his site ready to sluice pay fred's only concern now is getting the trommel

back to his remote 92 acre claim all has been building

up to this point once this wash plant gets to the site the mine really

transforms into an operating line how the rest of the crew will be able to

up with what we are able to do they'll have to figure it out pretty quick

And at that point, everybody's going to feel that energy and we're going to be

rolling hard.

Now it's time to move down the hill to its final resting spot for the season.

The hardest leg of the journey is reserved for last.

The perilous mountain descent.

into California Creek.

Froggy wants me hitting 100 loads a day, and I think right now we're hitting

just about 70, so we've got to pick up a lot of slack here, and it's not that

easy.

At the newly opened Promise Land, Parker's crew are racing to hit pay dirt

the end of the week.

But new operator Robert Froggy Jordanay is... struggling with rookie truck

drivers.

I talked to my grandpa, and he really motivated me, gave me a good pep talk,

I think it worked, kind of turning a new corner here and starting a new chapter,

I think.

My grandpa has been up in the Yukon for around 60 years.

Everybody up here knows my family and knows the last name, so I really don't

want to be the one to up and tarnish the family name at all.

Yeah, so far everyone's really impressed with Jordan's progress.

Yeah, we've had some talks, we've been really motivated.

Hey Evan, what's your load count at right now?

Yeah, he's starting to catch up.

Slowly but surely.

Coming down, you can get up to 40, and then take your foot off the accelerator,

going down the hill, you can get up to 50.

Oh, yeah, Jordan's starting to catch up. He's going a little bit faster now.

As right as I leave, he'll be right behind me with a full box.

I'm at 98 loads right now. We've still got a couple hours left, so today will

the first time I hit triple digits.

Oh, my God, what the f*** was that?

That did not sound good.

Hey, Tyson, you got a coffee?

Go to the yard and see what the mechanics have to say.

You can hear banging around as it drives by.

That's horrible.

Where's your drive shaft?

Right there.

Truck just started falling apart, literally.

The rear drive shaft has clonked.

and will take a week to replace.

What's more, the only other spare truck is being serviced.

Okay, so he's going to get this one up and running for me, and I can take this

one out, and hopefully it works. So we should be back up in an hour or so.

But for now, just sitting around and wait, I guess.

Yes, and good to go.

I'll get my ass back to work.

100 loads now. I think I passed you.

Yeah, Jordan, I'm at 99.

Finally beat Evan to 100 loads.

Joked about it.

His load count will help us make our goal.

Ken, I just want to let you know that your grandson hit 100.

1 -0 -0.

He's showing me that he's got what it takes to get the work done, and they're

doing it.

It's taken Jordan and the crew just one week to hit pay, and the results look

promising. I'm really happy with the way it looks. Like, I can't imagine that a

sluicing crew is going to have a problem with any of this.

Ken is definitely, like, the coolest landlord of all time.

Landowners that understand the process and when we need help, they come help us

out. It doesn't get much better than that.

That's the best man I've seen for a hell of a long time.

Yeah.

That's good.

That's damn good.

We're seriously running out of pipe.

We only have, I think, give or take two days left in another cut.

So we've got to get this place tipped. Otherwise, we're going to be without

for a couple of days.

Right now, we're out in 80 pop.

I mean, it's a big cut.

So good thing we've got the 11 in there. We've got the 950 in there. We've got

about 14 rock trucks going.

So, you know, we're moving plenty of dirt.

We better keep running like clockwork so we can do some flipping.

On Paradise Hill, Tony Beats is racing to open the 18 -acre, 80 -pup cut before

he runs out of pay dirt and is forced to shut down.

With almost his entire crew thrown at the job and only two -thirds of the way

pay dirt, Tony desperately needs another operator.

Hey, Mom.

Hey, how are you?

Good. I have a small child for you. You do?

I do.

Put it on there for now.

Hi, baby.

So, you're ready to go back to work? Oh, yeah. More or less.

It's going to be kind of tough.

Yeah, well, you still need to call me every two to three hours because I'll be

hungry.

So, what is this for the 80 pop?

I don't know. TV said something about needing me on a 950. We're just

Dad said they were almost down to pay, so we'll either get to it. Okay.

Love you.

Love you, too. Tell me if she's crying.

Oh, I will. Don't worry.

What do you think? What are we going to do?

Are we going to hang out together?

What trouble are we going to get into?

Oh, puppy.

My first baby.

My first baby. Let's go to work.

Oh, yeah.

I wonder what you've done.

only set an ambitious deadline for stripping the 120 -foot -deep mine and

Monica and the crew just one week to hit pay on 80 pop cuts.

Work is work. I don't care.

I'd rather be doing something than standing around with my fingers.

That's the first day back at work since having Jasmine.

I miss her when I'm out here, but I know that when I'm needed, I have to go.

Seeing my parents with my child is absolutely amazing.

My mom is, like, absolutely in love with my daughter, which is expected, but

still adorable.

And even TV absolutely melts when he's looking at her.

My kids really love to see.

If the Monica's back already, it wasn't that long ago that you had Jasmine Did

not take too long to get back to the swing of things which is pretty bad ass

say Some ladies would say if I wouldn't have my kids I'd be

kind of... I wouldn't have You

still obviously have a little bit left

today

But we're almost there, so the light is at the end of the tunnel.

There's most likely good pay underneath this.

This is literally the ass end of 80 Popper finishing it off.

We're pretty much on the pay, so it's almost time for Tony to come in and we

sploosh this pile.

In just a single week.

The banks have reached 80 per pederad.

We'll get this stuff loaded up, bring it to the closing box, and see if we get

any coal in it.

Right now, it's really difficult for me. I don't have my whole team here.

Until my team is here fully, I'm a laborer just like everybody else.

At California Creek, Fred Lewis and former scout sniper Stuart McKenzie are

building a pad for the new wash plant.

Now, so we have JB and we have Christopher. Christopher has minimal

on the excavator.

And JB, I know that he has experience, but it's a really big task.

Outside of me, I've got three guys.

We need our troops, big time.

I grew up in rural Kansas, sailed out of college when I was 19, joined the

Marines, took to the Army to go to Special Forces.

That's where I met Fred.

Former Marine Clint Janulis served with Fred in Iraq 13 years ago.

Fred calls me and goes, you want to come mine gold?

I was like, that's pretty awesome.

The Special Forces is actually sort of the perfect training system for gold

mining.

This is an adventure. Who the hell wouldn't want to go hang out with their

and find gold, find treasure?

Is that a Fred I see?

Oh, man.

Come here, you dirty.

How are you doing?

We live together.

We studied together, went through the whole qualification course for special

forces together, and we saw combat together. So there's not really much

a brother that I could have hired for me, so I just can't wait to get him to

work.

Clint jumped straight into a rock truck to help build the new work plant park.

Most of the year, just trying to keep my head above water.

Fall back!

You know, I'm working with combat vets.

I've spent a long time since I've been around guys like this. Guys who know

you've been through and have seen it themselves.

Mining with brothers and comrades is different than mining with just other

miners.

There's something about us.

We're all the same. We all have pretty much the same DNA.

You don't just walk into special operations.

You've got to prove yourself.

These guys are hungry.

These guys need this in their life.

But despite these qualities, the team still need reinforcements.

There we go. All right, let's go. All right, check this out.

Next to sign up is former Special Forces Sergeant Rick Douglas.

You grab the hoe, I'll grab the truck and start pulling it in.

Being veterans, we all understand that it is about teamwork.

The end state is gold, and that's what we're here for.

You know, I'm actually one of the only ones that came back from last season.

I wanted to give it a shot out here in the Utah.

If you can make it out here, then by rights, you are a gold miner.

With the pad complete, Stuart brings in the water pump that will feed the wash

plant.

Just a $66 ,000 pump, Rick. Nothing to worry about, right?

All right.

Go ahead and put it down.

How old did you get?

10, man.

She's in, brother.

Yeah.

Work on Fred's claim has been leading up to this point.

All right, Christopher, go around and then back up to it.

Getting the 50 -foot -long wash plant onto the claim down the treacherous two

-and -a -half -mile descent.

We've gotten the wash plant here.

Just a little bit left to go to get it down to the claim.

Fred's plan is to use a 250 excavator to pull the plant.

While a rock truck is tethered behind, act him as a brake.

They must negotiate a tight hairpin turn and a 30 degree incline before reaching

the claim.

As the chain starts to get tight, he'll know that it's pulling and he'll be able

to stop. The bug will be able to stop and hopefully the two vehicles can keep

from going down.

But dark corners and deep grade, not going to be fun.

You guys ready?

Let's do it.

No pressure, but it's a quarter million dollar water plant.

Whoa, whoa, whoa.

Hold on.

It's going to be a long ride.

Local operator Buzz Lago has been called in to tow the plant.

this next corner is the big one be ready for it it's got a lot of sand on it it

might slide easy all

right nice and slow guys nice and slow

All right, he was starting to slide, so I'm just going to have him hold a little

more slack.

He used to be able to go through the same thing.

Easy.

She's here.

Finally. Now we need to get JB on it. Get him doing maintenance. Let's go.

Guys, she's home.

Rocking and rolling.

This watch plant means we have a season.

Without this, we got nothing.

Now I'm super excited to get this thing up and running.

Move some dirt through it. Get some money.

Hell yeah, dude. Look at that thing.

Let's get this thing rolling. Let's do it. It'll be time. Hell yeah. Let's do

it. Hell yeah.

Get back to work.

So we're going to be a challenge getting it set up,

but once it is, it's going to catch every ounce of gold we put through it.

This is how we're going to vindicate ourselves and prove to everybody that we

can mine.

After a 1 ,300 -mile trip from Washington State, and after two months

Fred's wife, Cara, has arrived.

I had a good time when he came.

Got our wash plant already down there. We're this close.

I am excited to get down there. I want to see everything.

You got to meet the new guys, too.

Yeah. And then, of course, Christopher.

Still his old punk self, but he's doing really well.

How's the gold looking?

Gold looks pretty decent, babe. So do you think, like, you made the right

decision to come here?

100%. 100%. It's going to be challenging, and this is going to be a

work, a lot of blood, sweat, and tears, but I feel like the payoff at the end is

a lot better. I mean, night and day compared to last season. Well, I want to

what's going on. We've got to stop this bitch.

All right.

Go get, go get. All right, I'm going to get my stuff out. I'll see you in about

an hour. Yep.

I'm excited to see Fred. I know he's been really busy doing as much as he can

get this thing going, so I haven't had a chance to talk to him very much.

So I'll be glad to see what he's up to.

I just hope that it's not a repeat of last year, because last year was not

something I care to see again. But that's why I'm up here, to make sure

doesn't happen again.

Hi, guys.

I had a baby.

I brought my baby as well.

At Paradise Hill, the Beats family have assembled for the last of the Nugget Cup

payout.

So, are you guys laying around the rock truck a little too far over the edge?

Oh, just a little, little bit.

That must have been scary.

Oh, I think so. Well, I suppose it'd be a bit scary, but yeah, whatever.

Cousin Mike got that done. Oh, that's good.

Is he good to feel for it, do you think?

I don't think he'll have any problems. Okay, well, we'll see.

Almost all your kids have it.

His dad had it. He'd be surprised if he didn't.

Well, it's nice to have you back.

How does it feel to be back at work a little bit?

Good. Definitely missed a little when I'm not with you. Yeah, well, wait until

they grow up. You won't miss them there this much.

But I'll bet that she'll be driving a pickup truck when she'll be seven or

eight. That's almost guaranteed.

Anyway, but it's good to have you back, Monica.

We had a good week's listening then.

Around a full week, so. We should probably weigh the stuff?

Probably would. How about I pour for once and you read? Perfect.

The nugget pay ran all week.

So far, it's averaged 150 ounces.

Ready? Do it.

10, 20, 30, 60, 70, 100, 110, 120.

40, 150, 160, 170, 200,

220,

227

.38.

Worth over $400 ,000.

Hopefully we'll do a little bit better next week. I mean, it's not that we

didn't have a lot of money, because the more gold we get out of the ground.

the better it's going to be. I think you guys should all go back to work, eh?

Maybe get some more of that stuff so we can pay some more bills.

Yeah.

Okay, we'll see you guys later.

See ya.

See you guys later.

The only thing that I can get is a massage.

That's quite good.

Anyway, girl, I gotta go. You gotta go? We'll talk to you later.

You bet.

Okay. If you need me to run equipment, just let me know.

Let me know.

Give that tip to somebody. When she's a little bit older, we'll put some

earmuffs on her and she can ride along. She'll be ready to go. Yeah.

See, I remember being four years old and sitting in the back of the D -10 when

you were pushing.

Okay, ladies, see you later.

Oh, you did.

Bye. Bye.

Hey, young fella, what are you doing there?

How's it going?

Just trying to show Jordan what he's doing this for.

Hey, Tyson.

How's it going, man? Good. How are you doing?

Oh, pretty good.

Yeah, want some? No, thanks. Hey, Mitchell. What's happening?

Crazy, huh?

Man, what a week.

At Scribner Creek, landlord Ken Tatlow has brought grandson Jordan to his first

ever Goldway.

After a week spent opening new ground, the crew are eager to see if the

coat's still delivered.

So, sluice first, still running the airstrip, and then everything motoring

at Ken's, and it's pretty much ready for the wash plant.

I think the sooner we can get sluice first down and running on Ken's ground,

better off we'll be.

You want to see what we got?

Yeah. Yes.

Lucifer can't be moved to the promised land until Parker hits 1 ,500 ounces in

the airstrip.

And he's 500 ounces shy.

You want to read it out, Mitch? Ready?

All right, Chris, let's see what you got.

Okay.

20, 50, 80, 100, 120, 150.

Keep going.

160. Still more in here. How much you got? 200.

What do you think?

It just keeps coming. Yeah, it does.

240.

Can you hit 250?

Yeah, 250, 260, 270.

288 .9.

Worth over $520 ,000 and over halfway to the remaining

500 ounces.

Yeah, that is a really good week. Yeah, it's a lot.

So this is what you're working for.

Exactly. Exactly.

So with that, that's going to give us 1 ,321 ounces.

That's a lot of money.

Pretty good, man.

Pretty cool.

Yeah, it is. It is.

I'm looking forward to going down to Ken's round again.

Ken's looking forward to it.

He's like a kid in a candy store. He's a year -to -year smile in the cat. He's

just having the time of his life.

But now Jordan's down there, and you see those two working together, and you can

see him teaching them how to appreciate equipment.

Ken's been out here a long time, and so for his grandson to want to figure it

out and come learn about it, it's really cool.

Yeah, for sure.

Same time next week, 10 times the gold.

So it sounds like a plan.

Thank you guys. Thank you.