Narrator:
in the jungles of south america,
And in the frozen gold fields
of the north...
Fred: man,
this don't look good.
...three crews
across three countries...
Stop, stop, stop!
...are desperate to get
their seasons started.
What in the hell's going on?
Narrator: the hoffman crew
risks everything...
How deep is it?
Narrator:
...to get their critical
mining equipment to camp.
Turin: this is dangerous
during the day.
It's even worse at night.
Narrator:
up in the klondike...
Fire in the hole!
...parker schnabel
pushes his crew
To finally get
his wash plant running.
Parker: it's alive!
Narrator: but in the process,
greg remsburg...
Forget quartz creek.
Let's get rid of this garbage.
Narrator:
...dumps what could be
Thousands of dollars in gold.
What the [bleep]
I've been mining
for 10 years.
I'm spending the money here,
and I make the calls.
Narrator:
and south in alaska,
The dakota boys
drill down to bedrock.
I really, really think
there's something down there.
...to once and for all reveal
The mystery
of the glory hole.
Time to find out!
-- Captions by vitac --
www.vitac.com
Captions paid for by
discovery communications
Narrator:
guyana, south america.
Todd: whoa,
whoa, whoa, whoa!
Ohh!
Narrator: after four weeks
of nonstop delays and struggle,
The hoffman crew
is finally clearing ground
To mine for gold.
Todd: we did the hard part.
Actually getting here is tough,
So phase two -- let's go get
some freakin' gold.
Narrator:
using the limited equipment
They have at the claim,
They need to make up
for lost time.
It feels good to get
back in the saddle here.
Failure is not an option
for me.
[ Engine shuts off ]
Oh [bleep]
we got a problem.
Leaking oil?
Oh, yeah.
It's pissing
out of there.
Narrator: a hydraulic line
has blown on the d6 dozer.
We had a log flip up,
Came down and smacked
this hydraulic fitting.
We got lots of spares of those,
But nothing's made it
out here yet.
So, we don't have our welders.
We don't have our tools.
Right now, we're pretty well
without a dozer.
Narrator: without spare parts
and the tools
They need to fix the d6 dozer,
Their operation
is at a standstill.
I mean, all we got -- a couple
crescent wrenches and a hammer,
So that isn't gonna fix it.
It's [bleep]
[ Horn blows ]
Narrator: four weeks ago,
the hoffmans
Brought in the first half
of their equipment.
Todd: holy crap.
But mud roads
and the hostile jungle...
That's hot!
Watch it!
...made the trip to their
new claim almost impossible.
This is do-or-die right here.
Narrator: now, the rest
of their equipment,
A rock truck, an excavator,
And three containers
full of tools and parts,
Have arrived in guyana,
but they're stuck at the port.
Weeks behind schedule,
and now crippled without the d6,
Mechanic mitch blaschke
has had enough.
Hey, todd, we need to talk.
What's up?
I'm tired of working on things
with two [bleep] tools.
I'm underneath that dozer
With a framing hammer
and a crescent wrench.
It's just not
gonna cut it.
We got everything we need
in those containers.
When's it gonna get here?
You know, I wish I had
a date for you.
I know it's bad.
I'm calling every day.
I'm gonna call again
here in a minute.
I'm gonna try to kick
somebody's a*s
And get that stuff
up here.
That's the best I can do.
We're not gonna be doing
any mining at this rate.
Making a call in the jungle
is next to impossible.
There's only one spot
on the entire claim
That gets a cell signal.
Don't touch your phone --
that's the key.
Narrator: and it's so weak,
it will only connect
If todd's not touching
his phone.
Todd: I got an international
business here to run,
And this is how I have
to call,
So it's almost unbelievable.
[ Cellphone rings ]
Yeah, robert.
Yeah, this is todd.
Somebody's screwing somebody up,
and I'm freakin' pissed off.
Get those containers out
of customs as fast as possible.
Get them to mahdia,
and we'll pick them up.
Freakin' do it.
This has turned
into a freakin' nightmare.
I'm gonna just get some of
my guys, try to bring them in.
Let's go.
Narrator:
todd's persuaded his truckers
To move the equipment
from the port in georgetown
Across 150 miles
Of treacherous dirt roads
and river crossings
To the remote mining town
of mahdia.
The most dangerous point
on the route
Is the old timber bridge
at tiger creek,
Where todd plans
to meet the convoy.
Holy [bleep]
look at this, todd.
The whole bottom collapsed.
We've lost half
the bridge.
Todd: oh [bleep]
I think this bridge
is gonna be my nemesis.
Just four weeks ago...
Everybody clear.
Put it in there. Clear.
...the hoffman crew was forced
To rebuild the upper deck
of this bridge
To get their brand-new jungle
trommel safely to the claim.
Whoo-hoo!
But now a flash flood
Has destroyed
the supports underneath.
I think this bridge
is screwed.
The biggest issue is,
now that that bottom went out,
It took a bunch of the bank
Over the far side
of this bridge.
It's not long
for this world.
Now it's dangerous.
We lose the bridge,
everything's done.
We're not mining unless we
can get across this bridge.
Narrator:
with no safe way to get
The rest of their equipment
to the claim,
Todd's decision to mine
in the jungle
Is looking like a mistake.
Todd:
if this bridge collapses,
This could really turn
into a nightmare.
Narrator: 6,000 miles north
at porcupine creek, alaska,
The dakota boys have drained
the glory hole,
But to get down
to the millions in gold
That could lie on bedrock,
They need to work
under unstable high walls
Packed with massive boulders.
See that jutting
one single rock
That just scares the hell
out of you?
Yeah, I see
about a thousand of them.
Scary, huh?
Because a rock could come
off of there at any time.
I really, really think
there's something down there,
And I want it all.
For three seasons,
The dakota boys have mined
the glory hole
To get down
to life-changing bedrock gold.
Fred: we are absolutely reaching
the limits
Of what we can get out of here.
Narrator: now 100 feet down,
They're surrounded
by almost vertical high walls.
[Bleep] look out!
Crap.
The glory hole
has become a death trap.
[Bleep]
whoop.
Unbelievable.
We thought we'd hit it
after 100 feet.
Well, we got to change
that method.
Before we get started,
I have to know
Exactly where bedrock is on
the bottom of this waterfall.
I'm gonna bring a drill.
Why drill it?
Why waste the money?
It's worth it, fred.
Putting people down here
to dig is dangerous.
It has to be worth the risk.
We're drilling it.
To dig deeper, the dakota boys
Would need to make the walls
less steep
By expanding the hole,
But porcupine creek on one side
and a bedrock wall on the other
Make widening it impossible.
Digging any more
than another 20 feet
Could cause the glory hole
to collapse.
Dustin wants to drill
To see if it's physically
possible to reach bedrock gold.
The one point I absolutely
agree with you on is,
We can't go any deeper.
More than about 20 feet, it's
dangerous as hell down there.
Well, I'm gonna put
a drill right here.
I will tell you
where bedrock is.
I'm gonna find out.
Look, I can go along
with a drill for a few days.
One day, and I'll drill it.
If there's a pot of gold
at the bottom of this
thing, I'll find it.
Before the drill rig arrives,
Dustin hauls rocks
into the hole
To build
a solid drilling platform.
Dustin:
I have a platform to make
So this guy can come out
with a drill
And drive out on it
and start drilling
And not be underwater.
I really do want something
to be down there, yo.
God.
The gold can be huge.
It can be just absolutely
phenomenal for us.
Fred:
what in the hell's going on?
I have no idea why we're hauling
all this material in here.
This is exactly the opposite
of gold mining.
What are you gonna do?
I'm gonna make a pad
for this drill
To come out here
and drill on.
Fred: the platform's there.
The water is too high.
We got too much water,
that's all.
Pump three feet of water
out of there,
And there's a platform
sitting there.
Narrator: fred wants
to pump out the water
And put the drill rig
on an existing platform.
But dustin's decided to build
a rock bed instead.
There's a flat platform
down there.
I don't know what all
this [bleep] about.
He has to change bits
and add steel.
Boy's got to stand
in this [bleep]
I imagine they would love
to drill through water
Rather than loose rocks.
Let me finish so I can get
some work done.
Dustin refuses to bow
to fred's experience.
Have no idea why we're hauling
all this crap in
When the platform
is there already.
Narrator:
three years excavating
Thousands of yards of dirt
And hundreds of thousands
of dollars in operating costs
Have failed
to uncover the mystery
At the bottom
of the glory hole.
The first-ever drill rig
at porcupine
Could finally determine whether
or not it holds a pot of gold.
Here it comes,
right there.
Holy [bleep]
it's big.
I might have to make
a bigger platform.
Look at that thing.
Oh, my gosh.
Narrator:
ben miller, the drill operator,
Is about to get his first look
at the glory hole.
This is it.
So, I just built this
this morning for you.
This is gonna be your work area
right here.
Miller: yikes.
I was told
it was gonna be mud,
And that's
definitely not mud.
Can you not drill
through this stuff?
Oh, god, no.
Cobble's gonna be difficult.
I'll give it a shot.
Yeah.
But that river rock is
just a nightmare.
Narrator:
dustin's rock platform
Has made drilling the glory hole
even harder.
I've never drilled anything
quite in that condition.
The cobblestones are gonna be
the real issue.
He didn't seem very sure
about this.
He's making me nervous.
Narrator: at porcupine creek,
The dakota boys
are preparing to drill
Down to the bottom
of the glory hole.
They're about to find out
If they have millions in bedrock
gold within their reach.
Dustin: I've been nervous
thinking about this,
'Cause I've been trying
to get this done
So I can get this answer --
the final answer.
Narrator: they must hit bedrock
within 20 feet.
Digging any deeper, and the
glory hole walls could collapse.
The future of porcupine creek
depends on these drill results.
That's gonna be something
To make or break us,
To find out
whether we're gonna go in,
Continue digging down
in the back of that hole
In about 20 feet or not.
Tallis: I'm nervous about
the results, I really am.
Last year, it just seemed like
we worked so hard for the dream,
You know,
and it's coming down to today.
Dustin: time to find out!
Where do you want
your first hole at?
Narrator:
dustin leads the drill...
Right here.
...out onto
his cobblestone path.
Wish me luck.
[ Laughs ]
I really, really, really want
this to work.
Narrator: but right away...
Ah.
...there's a problem.
I keep getting about two inches
every time.
Just keeps hanging up.
It's just not good.
Ah.
[ Groans ]
What the [bleep] man?
I'm hung up
on cobblestones.
I'll start straight,
and I'll hit something,
And it'll kick me off
a little bit,
And it'll kick me off.
It's really, really bad
for it.
Oh [bleep]
Narrator: when the drill bit
first hits the river rocks,
It pushes them aside,
but as it goes deeper,
They pack in
tightly around the shaft,
Causing it to seize up.
Hey, do you feel about me
putting an excavator down here
And taking
all that cobble out?
I think that's gonna be
our best bet.
Dustin created the problem.
Now he needs
to fix his mistake.
I'll tell you what I want.
I [bleep] up and put
all this stuff down here.
I need all that [bleep]
out of there.
Dustin: I'm gonna dig down
as far as I can,
And hopefully it won't
collapse in on him.
This helps.
I don't like cobblestones.
Fred: dustin insisted
On putting tons of rocks
down there.
Now we're moving the rocks,
taking rocks back out again.
Narrator: with dustin's pile
of rock removed...
Round two.
Narrator: ...driller ben
Should have an easier time
getting down to bedrock.
It's gonna be better
than it was before.
I have no idea how to drill,
So I'm only guessing
it's going well.
Right now, trying to keep
a positive attitude.
Miller: it's a lot better.
It's going down straighter.
That is a very good sign.
I might be in a good spot.
And if I can get down 10 feet,
then tell them,
You know, unequivocally, in this
spot here, there is bedrock,
God, that'd be awesome.
Narrator: hitting bedrock
in less than 20 feet
Just might mean
millions in gold.
Whoo! Yeah, baby.
Up north at scribner creek
in the klondike...
My favorite piece
of equipment.
...parker schnabel
is clearing old pay dirt
Out of little blue,
The broken-down wash plant
he bought from todd hoffman.
Some quartz creek
pay dirt.
I think there's gonna be
some gold in the sluices.
The only thing better
than finding my own gold
Is finding todd hoffman's gold.
Narrator: in the offseason,
Parker bought little blue
from todd
For 25 ounces of gold,
worth around $40,000.
Okay,
so little blue's yours.
But you understand,
it's as is.
I'm not giving you
any warranties on it, okay?
Parker also owes todd
100 ounces of gold,
Worth around $140,000,
For todd's old d10 dozer,
Due in just six weeks' time.
Todd: on july 1st,
I'll freakin' take that dozer
so fast,
It'll make
that kid's head spin.
Narrator:
now, with a mountain of debt,
Parker needs
wash-plant expert steve robbins
To get little blue rebuilt
and running dirt
As soon as possible.
So, what are you thinking
as far as a timeline?
You know, we're in a bit
of a time crunch.
Robbins: well,
it ain't gonna be easy.
This'll be the first
time I've worked on
something this old.
It's, like, a lot of work.
Two weeks, max.
Parker: two weeks?
Yeah.
I mean, we just hit pay
out in the cut,
So we need this thing
going in a week.
I don't think
that's doable.
From what I'm hearing, the plant
has a pretty checkered past.
Once we turn it on,
That'll tell me everything
I need to know.
Yeah, but we don't have
two weeks, steve.
We'll have pay stacks
right here, ready to go,
In a week, so we need
a running wash plant.
It has to happen, right?
We need money.
We spent a lot more
than I expected to,
And, you know, it's not easy.
Narrator: parker heads to the
cut to start digging pay dirt,
Leaving new hire and quartz
creek veteran greg remsburg
To work on little blue
with steve.
Greg's first move
Is to dump the material
left in the sluices.
Nothing in the bottom
of our sluice.
Let's just move it
for right now
And let parker
make the decision.
I promise you,
there's no gold in it.
But we can't just dump it.
Yeah, we can.
I wouldn't even spend
the time to check it, okay?
It's in our way right now.
We're gonna dump it out,
and I guarantee you,
There won't be
a speck of gold.
We want scribner gold.
Forget quartz creek.
Let's get rid of this garbage.
Narrator: two hours later,
Parker returns
to check on progress.
And he's not happy.
So, that sluice, how come
the dirt's out of it?
Whose idea was it?
Who thought that there was
no gold in a sluice box?
I buy this thing, right,
and I buy its contents,
And you just dump them
all over the ground.
You want my wallet?
Here, you want to dump it
on the ground, too?
That's what you just did.
I can guarantee you that there
was gold in that, trust me.
Robbins:
why would there be?
Because I've been mining
for 10 years,
And I've looked
in a lot of riffles.
There was gold
in that sluice.
There might have been
one flake.
There might have been
20 flakes.
There might have been
800,000 flakes,
But you don't know that,
And that's not
your guys' decision.
I'm spending
the money here.
I spent the money
on that wash plant,
And I make the calls.
Narrator:
parker heads to the creek
To pan a sample
of todd's old concentrate
From little blue's sluices.
[Bleep]
I'm gonna sh**t somebody.
Yeah, seriously.
There's a pan
right there.
Remsburg:
where'd it come from?
What you dumped
on the ground. Right?
So now I'm trying to figure out
how to deal with that.
Right? 'Cause gold got dumped
all over the ground.
So, what am I supposed
to do?
If you were me,
what would you do?
I don't know, parker.
You know,
I don't know what it was.
I don't know if it was
just laziness,
Lack of respect,
but it's a sluice box.
That's where we make
our money.
I'm sorry I did it.
Well, I mean,
sorry doesn't put
Gold in the jar
that's empty.
It doesn't, no.
I'm burning
through cash bad,
And that could have put
a couple thousands bucks
In my pocket,
just from -- that's one pan.
Remsburg: yeah, I'm surprised
There's gold in that sluice box.
I mean, that's why I --
I didn't dump it thinking,
Oh, I'm dumping out
parker's gold.
That would -- I'm not here
to take from parker.
I'm here to give.
I'm here to enhance.
So, if I can't do that,
then maybe I shouldn't be here.
Narrator: in guyana,
the hoffman crew is struggling.
Four weeks into the season
and still unable to mine,
They're meeting the first
of their missing equipment
On a remote jungle road.
Sweet!
Here comes the truck.
Todd finally spots
his only rock truck,
A key piece
of his mining operation.
We better stop him.
Hold up!
But there's a problem.
The only way to get
to their claim
Is across tiger creek,
and the bridge is out.
We just stopped the truck
in time.
The bridge is too screwed.
There's no way we're trusting
that bridge.
I'm going through the creek.
Narrator: with the rock truck
too heavy to risk the bridge,
There's only one way across --
through the creek.
Spinks: here goes nothing!
I hope it's not too deep!
What do you think, andy?
Can you make it?
We'll see.
You know what, dude?
That is deep.
Come on, baby, hit it!
Come on, girl, come on!
Yeah, whoo!
The hoffmans' rock truck
makes it,
But now it has to climb
a muddy 45-degree bank.
Hit it, man.
Come on!
You got it!
Come on, baby!
Come on! Come on!
A little bit more.
A little bit more.
So close.
Come on!
Aw [bleep]
That's all it's got, todd!
Now she's sliding.
Hold it, hold it.
He ain't gonna make it.
It's too torn up now.
One more try?
Come on, girl, come on!
Come on. Come on.
Come on. Clear.
Come on, baby.
Come on, come on,
come on.
I'm giving it
all it's got, guys!
It just doesn't have
no grip.
Go, go, go, go, go!
Just can't get
any traction.
That's all
she's got, boys!
That's about as close as you get
and not make it.
Narrator:
just feet from the road,
The rock truck they desperately
need to haul pay dirt
Is stuck in the mud.
Dodge:
we keep screwing with it,
It's just gonna keep
getting more stuck,
Or we're gonna break something.
And that's the last thing
we need right now
Is to break something else
in here.
We got to get the excavator.
It's the only thing that's
gonna get it up this hill.
Narrator: their only hope
is the 290 excavator,
But it hasn't arrived yet.
It's still on the road between
georgetown and tiger creek.
Todd: the problem is this.
The truck needs help
getting up this hill.
We're gonna need the excavator
to push it up.
Some way,
we got to help it up.
Narrator:
north at scribner creek,
Greg remsburg has dumped out
gold-rich concentrate
Left behind by the hoffmans
in little blue's sluice box.
Now his job is on the line.
Remsburg: hey, parker,
you got a minute?
I wanted to apologize
to you.
I'm sorry
for, I guess, acting
Without getting approval
on something like that.
Yeah, it's just laziness,
you know?
That's the way I see it,
or it's not caring.
Well, I do care,
and i-i hope --
Well, you say that,
But you dumped the dirt
with the gold
On the ground, greg.
I'm not -- I'm not here
to argue with you.
I just -- I just hope you
can accept my apology,
And I just want you to know
I'm ready to do
What you want me to do,
and that's -- that's it.
Good.
Okay.
That it?
Yeah, are we good?
I think so.
Okay, thank you.
To have any hope
of paying todd
For the d10 dozer
by july 1st,
Parker needs to be running dirt
by the end of the week.
Robbins: ready?
Their next step is to get
little blue onto its platform.
Wash-plant expert steve robbins
plans to move the plant
Up a slope,
using logs as rollers.
We'll just drag it up
on the logs.
That way, we don't dig
into the dirt,
And we don't have extra pressure
on the machine
By pulling on it in the dirt.
Have you done this
before?
No, I have not.
I've moved plants around,
But they usually have
tires on them.
We really don't need to do it
like the egyptians
And try to roll it
up there.
This gives it more ability
To fall around
or do something bad.
It's not rocket science.
I mean, if the egyptians did it,
we can do it.
All right,
well, let's get to it.
Are you ready?
Okay, parker.
Everybody clear?
Go ahead.
Narrator: parker lifts
the 40-year-old wash plant
With the 460 excavator
While gene pushes
with the 220 loader.
You just give pull,
and he'll give push.
If they're not
perfectly synchronized,
The old plant will fall.
Gene: hey, I'm gonna have
to get straightened out
on it a little.
It's not even.
I'm picking on that other side.
We're not picking evenly.
Okay. Easy.
It's gonna go real easy.
If the 20,000-pound wash plant
slips and rolls,
It will buckle, and parker's
season will be over.
My whole season's tied up
in this wash plant,
And I've spent 25 ounces
of gold on it.
We can't afford
for this to go wrong.
Okay, parker,
go forward.
[Bleep]
Come down some more
and pull.
h*!
It's getting hairy,
guys.
This is [bleep]
I can't pick it
any [bleep] further.
Logs are being
a [bleep] huh?
I should have known
this was gonna turn
into a cluster [bleep]
Here we come,
we're coming to you. h*.
Parker.
Gene: it's leaning that way.
Down, down, down, gene.
Whoa!
What the [bleep]
Oh [bleep]
just broke a chain.
[Bleep] piece of [bleep]
Gene: we have to go
around this part
So that the chains
don't slide up those beams.
Follow me?
Okay, back through here.
I think that'll --
I like it.
Okay, parker, go ahead.
Narrator:
with the chains swapped out,
They have one last chance
To get little blue
safely into place.
Go more towards the front
if you can, parker.
There you go, keep pulling.
Down and pull.
You're doing it
all on your own.
Little more.
Little more. Good.
I like that.
So, does everybody think
it looks good right there?
It's not the prettiest
thing, but...
Looks like it's found a home
for a season.
Right on.
It's starting to look
like a gold mine, huh?
Now it just needs
to find some gold.
That's it.
Narrator:
night in the guyana jungle.
The hoffman crew is
in a desperate situation.
Their only rock truck
is stranded
On the bank on tiger creek,
This is dangerous
during the day.
It's even worse at night.
Narrator: to haul it out,
they need their 290 excavator,
But it's missing
somewhere on the road
Between georgetown
and tiger creek.
Todd has sent out
a search party.
Right now, we've got a crew
out here in the dark,
So we're just gonna wait
until they show up,
And it's -- we have
no choice right now.
I see somebody over there.
Narrator: after a tense
three-hour wait...
Their excavator
finally arrives.
Todd:
all right, man, perfect.
Let's go.
Yeah.
We've been waiting for hours
for our excavator.
It finally got here
and at the top of the hill.
Narrator: to have any chance
of rescuing the rock truck
Stuck on the opposite bank,
The excavator first has
to make it
Through the rising waters
of tiger creek.
Todd:
that looks like it's gotten
A little bit deeper
than earlier, but --
Dodge:
it has. Better hurry.
It's not raining right now.
It just rained a little bit,
but if we wait till tomorrow,
This creek could be
four feet higher.
Narrator: tiger creek
Could already be too deep
for the excavator.
Losing either machine would end
their season before it starts.
We got
these electronics
Right underneath
this cover.
If the water gets up
into these,
This machine
isn't going anywhere.
It's gonna be sitting in
the middle of that creek,
And we don't have anything here
to pull it out.
Hey, andy. Slow down.
Slow down a little bit.
Todd: this is our window
of opportunity.
We got to get it
across the creek.
[ Horn honks ]
Okay. Easy, andy.
Tell him to go slow.
We're taking a gamble
just getting this across here.
Hell, if we break it
right there, we're screwed.
Narrator: between the darkness
and the rising water,
There's no way to know
if the creek is too deep.
How deep is it, todd?
I can't see the depth.
How deep is it?
It's not shallow.
That's not good.
Narrator: the rising water
Is just inches
from the electronics.
It's just right at the edge
of going into the cab.
Go!
Go!
He can make it.
The excavator makes it
safely through the creek.
Whoo!
Now the rescue mission
can begin.
Now the hard part. We got
to push the truck up the hill.
Narrator: the hoffman crew's
mining season...
Let's go!
...depends on andy
using the 290 excavator
To push the rock truck
up the slippery bank.
Come on, baby.
Come on.
Turin:
what's going on there?
What's going on?
Spinks: I got no power.
I can't get any traction.
Andy, you got to --
yeah, there you go.
Come on up, buddy.
Pull yourself up!
[ Metal clangs ]
Come on.
Go, go, go, go, go, go,
go, go, go, go, go, go!
The excavator arm
is fully extended.
Dodge: andy, drag forward!
Drag forward!
Andy has to reposition
To push the truck
the final few feet.
Okay, you ready, man?
Turin: yeah!
Get ready! Go! Go!
Go!
Go, go, go!
Keep going, keep going,
keep going!
Come on!
Whoo, yeah!
With the last
of their heavy equipment
Finally on the right side
of tiger creek,
The hoffman crew only has
to find their containers
To get their mining season
back on track.
You just keep moving forward,
even though --
If you have
a lot of setbacks,
If we could keep inching
our way forward,
We're gonna beat this thing.
Good job, andy!
Dodge:
good job, andy!
That was close.
Whoo!
Yeah!
Narrator:
in the wilds of alaska,
The dakota boys are drilling.
With every foot,
they get closer to determining
The fate of the glory hole
once and for all.
We're eight feet deep
right now.
I imagine we'll hit
the waterfall in about 10 feet.
We're right at 10.
Narrator: the drill is
already 10 feet down,
Halfway to their 20-foot limit,
And there's no sign of bedrock.
I'm at 14 feet,
so that's a plus.
Digging any deeper
than 20 feet,
And the danger
of the high walls collapsing
Will force the dakota boys
to abandon the glory hole.
Come on, baby!
Well, right now,
I'm probably about 16 feet down
right now.
We'll go
a little bit more.
Dustin: uh-oh.
[Bleep]
I think my hole collapsed
on me, bro.
This loose rock
and all this water,
I think everything
Just [bleep] wants to cave
right back in on itself.
[Bleep]
it's not looking good, freddy.
The hole's collapsed in
on itself.
I'm gonna try pulling my steel
out and going back down,
If I can.
Ah, that's not good.
If I lose rotation,
That's when I get scared.
Narrator:
the unforgiving ground
At the bottom
of the glory hole
Has crippled ben's drill.
It's stuck pretty good
right now.
[Bleep]
The dirt just piled in,
And it just won't let the drill
bit come out right now.
So, it's stuck.
I'm not going
any deeper.
This is not gonna work.
Narrator: unable to drill
another foot, ben calls it.
That's it, fellas.
For two years,
Fred and dustin have hunted
a life-changing payday.
Now their epic battle
has come to an end.
They will never know
just how close they were
To millions of dollars
in gold.
Dustin: we failed.
What else can you do?
There's no hope.
This is over with.
Epic fail.
Narrator:
in guyana, the hoffman crew
Finally has their rock truck
and excavator,
But they're weeks
behind schedule,
And they still have to find
their shipping containers
Full of critical
mining equipment.
Turin: hopefully we can find
some of them.
Dave turin and andy spinks
Head 10 miles
up the potaro river.
There's our container, dave.
There's one of them.
The first
of their missing containers.
Man, I tell you what, that's
a sweet sight right there.
Right on.
We got a container on a barge.
Narrator: in guyana,
the hoffmans' first container
Arrives at yuang landing,
five miles from their claim.
It should hold the tools
and equipment
The hoffman crew
desperately needs
To jump-start their season.
There's a lot riding
on that truck right there.
Just go. Just go!
Go, go, go! Come on!
Narrator: but in the jungle,
nothing comes easy.
Turin: watch it!
Spinks: watch it!
They immediately hit
deep mud.
We got a loaded container
down here,
And there's no way this thing's
gonna get up this hill.
Freddy dodge heads down
in the 110 loader to help.
Got to get it out of this
mud hole. He looks buried.
It won't be easy.
Narrator:
but as freddy starts to pull...
[ Thunder rumbles ]
...the heavens open up.
My front wheel's spinning.
Narrator: and suddenly,
the loader is in trouble.
Right now,
we aren't getting him out.
I may get stuck myself
with this [bleep] falling down.
Narrator: night falls.
The container truck
and the 110 loader
Are going nowhere fast.
Oh, that loader's stuck.
It's stuck bad,
so we got one chance at this.
We got to bring the rock truck
here to pull it out.
Come on,
get out that truck!
Narrator: todd arrives
in the rock truck.
Can I get a little distance
behind me?
We need two feet back!
Narrator: they attach the rock
truck to the stranded loader
That is also chained
to the container truck.
Okay, start easing ahead.
Todd starts to pull
in the rock truck.
[ Indistinct shouting ]
And the loader
Just barely manages
to get traction
On the slick jungle road.
Looking good, todd.
Looking good.
Todd finally gets
The 110 loader
and container truck moving.
Todd: now we're pulling
everybody out.
That'll do it, freddy.
We got it here.
Yeah, whoo!
[ Horn honks ]
Whoo, we did it!
Good job!
Whoo!
Turin:
that's teamwork right there.
We had every person on our team
after that one,
But look at that.
That's a nice sight.
Container in camp.
Inch at a time
is what it takes around here.
Narrator: things are finally
looking up for the hoffman crew.
[ Birds chirping ]
By morning, todd has
All of his heavy equipment
And his missing containers
On site.
Todd:
is this the tool one or not?
Narrator: but nobody knows
if any of these containers
Hold the tools and supplies
they need
To get their season
under way.
We gonna put some
money on this if it's
actually the tools?
With the way everything else
goes around here,
I'll bet it's not the tools,
But it's too painful
if it's not the tools.
Jack: it is, it is.
Let's see what we got.
You ready?
Let's do it.
Yeah!
Yeah, it is.
Oh, my gosh.
There's our welder.
I tell you what, I never thought
I'd be so happy
To see a welder
and a grease g*n in my life,
But we got our stuff here now.
And hopefully, we'll be mining
here pretty quick.
Narrator:
up in the klondike,
Parker's crew prepares to run
Their first pay dirt
of the season
Through their refurbished
wash plant, little blue.
First truckload of gold!
First truckload of gold.
Yeah.
Parker: rick brought pay
over to the plant,
And we need to put rocks
through the plant today.
Hopefully everything starts up,
everything runs.
I'm a little nervous, but we'll
see if steve can run it.
Narrator: seven days ago,
parker set a one-week deadline
To have little blue
up and running dirt.
Everybody loves
to put deadlines on me --
Loves to do that!
Narrator:
the wash plant hasn't been used
Since the hoffman crew
abandoned it over a year ago.
Now the pressure is on steve
to come through.
Want to see what it does?
Yeah.
Fire in the hole!
[ Engine turns over ]
[ Laughs ]
Parker: it's alive!
That's not too bad, really.
I think it's running good.
Now we need
to add some water.
Yeah, go ahead,
give us some water.
Here comes the water.
I didn't ever think
this thing would run again.
I thought it'd sit over at
quartz creek and rust to death,
But it's been resurrected.
We're gonna get some gold
through it.
Narrator: despite dumping out
the hoffmans' gold...
You've got the honors
of the first scoop.
Thanks, parker.
...parker has greg run
the first pay dirt.
Let's wash some rock, boys!
Parker:
we're running dirt.
And it's not pretty,
but it's washing rocks.
Narrator: just a month
after leaving home...
Steve, good job, man.
We're washing rocks.
...parker has built
his klondike operation
From the ground up.
He is mining for gold.
Parker:
it's been a rough startup,
But, you know, today tells me
we're on the right track.
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04x03 - In Too Deep
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Reality based series follows the placer gold mining efforts of various family-run mining companies, mostly in the Klondike region of Dawson City, Yukon, Canada, as well as in the U.S. state of Alaska.
Reality based series follows the placer gold mining efforts of various family-run mining companies, mostly in the Klondike region of Dawson City, Yukon, Canada, as well as in the U.S. state of Alaska.