John:
Every story has a beginning,
A middle, and an end.
[ Dog barks ]
With gold dredgers
It starts
With the summer sun.
Let's get some gold made here.
This is frickin' awesome!
But gold doesn't come easy.
Man: watch out!
Whoa!
[ Indistinct shouting ]
And in the end
It's cold.
Steve p.: Hold on!
Shawn: I'm gonna get us
Away from the docks.
The gold's still there.
This ice is crazy.
And now it's a battle
To get to it.
I can feel little
Particles of ice hitting
The back of my throat.
Talk to me like a normal human
Being and mind your work!
God, it's freezing today.
[ "Gold in these hills" plays ]
Listen up close, now ♪
What I say ♪
I'm a-gonna take that risk
One day ♪
I heard about a fortune
To be made ♪
And I'm a-gonna get it,
Now, just you wait ♪
'Cause I heard
That there's gold ♪
In these hills ♪
--Captions by vitac --
Captions paid for by
Discovery communications
Gold ♪
Shawn: the snow's flying,
The ice is coming in,
And it's gonna do nothing
But get worse.
Narrator: winter has arrived
In nome, alaska.
Wintertime in nome. It hi
All of a sudden, didn't it?
Narrator: at any moment,
The harbor could freeze solid
Tenhoff: just a week ago,
There was no ice whatsoever.
Narrator: and a punishing
Three-month dredging season
Will come to an end.
Tenhoff: tomorrow morning,
It might be impassable.
Narrator: every rig
Has lost key players
I am completely by myself.
There's got to be a
Bigger picture at the end
Of this [bleep] hellhole.
Narrator: and everyone
Still needs gold.
I made a little bit,
But I need to make more.
This is crunch time right now.
Narrator: but now all eyes
Are on the future,
Because in just 30 hours
Is the biggest even
In the history
Of alaskan gold dredging --
An auction for untouched
Offshore mining claims
That could hold a fortune
In untouched gold.
We've divided all
Of that nearshore acreage
Into tracts
From 30 acres up to 160.
Ian: there are millions
Of ounces out there.
The lease auction is a good way
For a little guy to start being
A big player up here.
Narrator: previously,
The alaska departmen
Of natural resources
Limited the fleet to
A 640-acre section of seafloor.
Now they're opening up
All-new sections of virgin ocean
For mining
But only to the highest bidder.
Ian: I've heard all sorts
Of crazy things.
Some people say they're
Willing to spend 100 grand
On these claims.
Narrator: with unknown riches
On the table,
This window of good weather
Could be their last sho
To make money
Before the auction.
We're just trying
To save every penny we can
So we can be
A competitive bidder.
Well, let's get to it, then.
Narrator: in nome harbor
Steve p.: We got quite a bi
Of ice in the harbor here.
Last night,
It went down to 15 degrees.
Narrator: the largest dredge
In the fleet,
The 80-foot christine rose,
Is frozen at the dock.
The trick is to get the hose
Thawed out without melting it.
Narrator:
While owner steve pomrenke
Thaws out his wash plan
And sluice box
Getting the ice broke up so it's
Easier to get the dredge out.
Narrator:
His son, shawn, uses a skiff
To break up the harbor ice.
I was hoping
That we'd have a better year.
A successful season
Would be 1,000 ounces.
We're only at 60% of that,
And that's why we're heading
Back out with the barge.
Get one last run in here.
Shawn: my dad and i,
We're the only two lef
Running the dredge.
Narrator:
This season, the pomrenkes
Hired two greenhorns
To help man the dredge.
Good morning, vietnam!
But cody moen has lef
For the winter.
And after their last trip
How can we square up?!
The gold ain't [bleep] clean!
Deckhand robbi wade
Was fired.
I'm not dealing with I
Anymore, robbi.
Shawn: you just got to do
Whatever it takes
To keep this thing running.
Narrator: with the auction
In just 30 hours,
Father and son
Need to get on the grounds.
Shawn: we need gold
So we can secure the future
Of the pomrenkes mining.
Steve p.:
Get the hell out of here!
I'm gonna get us away
From the docks.
Okay.
Narrator: but before
They can mine gold
Playing in the ice.
They need to make I
Out of the harbor.
Shawn:
This ice is so thick.
She's stuck in there
Pretty good.
No, there she comes up.
Narrator:
Shawn uses the excavator arm
To claw the 80-ton dredge
Through the ice.
Shawn: come on, now!
Long winter up here.
It ain't like we go
So many frickin' days
To be out here, mining.
We need to be out there
Every day possible.
Steve p.: Now you got ice
Building on everything,
And you got to get out there
And bust that off.
Shawn: it gets scary.
Well, winter's here.
Winter is here.
Narrator: after an hour
Of scraping forward
The dredge makes I
To open water.
[ Seabirds crying ]
In the small-boat harbor
Meisterheim:
18 Degrees right now.
Narrator:
Scott meisterheim,
Former captain
Of the wild ranger,
Is desperate
To turn his luck around.
Meisterheim: when the season
First started, I had a goal.
$150,000
Is what I wanted to make.
It's what I had to make
To keep myself out of jail.
I didn't make
Anything near that.
I was stuck on the wild ranger
For a few months.
That entire boat was bad news.
This [bleep] boat needs to be
At the bottom of the ocean.
Narrator:
After earning only $200 in gold
From his season
On a defective dredge
Do you know how much money I've
Spent and haven't [bleep] made?!
[ Dialing ]
Narrator: scott quit.
I'm done, vern. Bye.
[Bleep] damn.
Meisterheim: the wild ranger
Was a joke from the beginning.
It started off bad,
It ended bad,
And it was bad in the middle.
Narrator: now
Morning.
Morning, stan.
Another dredge,
The au2000,
Is short a diver.
D'orio: I had another guy
On the dredge.
He just decided to pack it in
And head home.
I see scott, and he goes,
"Give me five minutes."
He says,
"I'll have my [bleep] aboard."
I says, "good enough.
Let's do it."
Narrator:
Instead of giving the orders
Okay. Tell me
Where you want me.
Scott's now taking them
In a last-ditch effor
To bring home some money
To his family.
Meisterheim: it's literally
Come down to the wire for me.
So I'm here till there's ice
Rolling down the river,
Because I have to pay
Child support,
And child-support offices
Ain't nice to you
If you ain't paying
Child support.
I'm trying.
I'm out here, working.
I can go sit my a*s in jail
And not pay a dime,
But that's not who I am.
I'd like to go back out there
And get --
10 Ounces would be swee
Before I go home.
Narrator:
But standing in his way,
32-Degree water
And sheets of thick ice.
Meisterheim:
We got ice on the harbor.
Hopefully we can bust through I
And get out there.
Fire it up.
D'orio: let's go!
Meisterheim: go ahead!
[ Scraping ]
Meisterheim:
This ice is crazy.
Whoo!
[ Laughs ]
U.s.s. Icebreaker right here,
Coming through.
Whoo!
D'orio: holy crap!
If I can go out and get me
A day's worth of gold,
I'll be happy.
Narrator:
At belmont beach
[ Grunts ]
[ Sighs ]
One of those days already.
Smaller dredges
Are also facing challenges.
Tenhoff: it's definitely the
Coldest it's been this year.
Cold enough
To freeze everything up.
My sluice-box mats --
Frozen up pretty good.
I got to thaw them ou
In the water.
Narrator:
Three months ago
Emily: not even god
Could sink this ship!
Not even god
Could sink this ship!
[ Laughs ]
Captain zeke tenhoff
Started the season
With greenhorn emily riedel.
Look, emily, I've been
Doing this for years, okay?!
But after tensions
Reached boiling point
Tenhoff:
Recently, I realized tha
I'm really attracted to emily.
It's not working out,
Us living together.
Narrator:
Zeke fired emily.
[ Sobs ]
Tenhoff:
It became obvious that we needed
To get some distance
From each other.
I think she'll be all right.
Narrator:
Now more than ever
I need to stay focused.
I know where there's
A little bit of gold.
Narrator: zeke needs
To get on the gold.
Tenhoff: I'm in a huge amoun
Of hospital debt,
And so far this season,
I grossed about $60,000.
I got to ge
At least 100 grand this year.
I'll be happy.
Full-on wintertime.
And this is
Summertime equipment.
My alternator is frozen.
Ian: hey, zeke.
Hey, ian.
Everything starting for you?
Narrator: ian foster
Is also feeling the pressure.
Ian:
I'm here to make money,
Enough money
That I can last the off-season.
Narrator: three months ago,
Ian quit his job
As a social worker
To follow his dream
Of becoming a gold dredger.
No turning back now.
Narrator:
He's invested everything
Into his 19-foot dredge.
This is my life savings.
It's all I got.
[ Exhales deeply ]
My goal is to make 50 ounces.
I've already recovered
About 25 ounces of gold,
So I'm considerably short of 50.
I'm trying to hi
Another 25 ounces
Before the ice gets
On the river.
[ Engine sputters ]
Tenhoff: almost. Not quite.
Ian: we got to
Get out there today.
[ Engine sputtering ]
Yeah, I'm gonna try
Another battery.
I'm gonna try
One more thing.
Put fuel directly
In the carburetor.
[ Engine sputters ]
If that doesn't work,
Then I migh
Have to row out today.
[ Engine turns over ]
[ Revving ]
Tenhoff: hey!
[ Chuckles ]
Narrator:
On belmont beach
My dredge
Is definitely telling me
That it doesn't want to run
In the wintertime.
Narrator: zeke tenhoff's
Outboard motor is running,
But he's still struggling to ge
His dredging equipment started.
Tenhoff:
This engine is a lot older,
A lot more difficul
To get it going.
[ Engine sputters ]
I'd really like to ge
Another ounce of gold.
I need a good chunk of cash
To hold me over for the winter.
I'm gonna fire it up right now.
[ Engine sputters ]
[ Engine turns over ]
[ Engine idling, shuts off ]
I think we're good to go.
Gonna throw this blanket over I
So it doesn't cool down
On our way out.
Narrator: with the air
Temperature a frigid 15 degrees,
Zeke has to get to his dive spo
Before the engine cools off,
And every second counts.
[ Dogs barking ]
Over on west beach
Emily:
I just couldn't leave nome
Without getting
Some more money together.
Narrator: zeke's former
Dredging partner, emily riedel,
Is looking for gold
In a stream bed.
Emily:
Beach mudding is hard.
It's not as profitable.
When I came up here,
It was to work on a dredge,
But zeke and I had
A falling-out.
That terminated
Our working relationship.
You need to clarify what the
Nature of our relationship is.
It's not working out,
Us living together.
I don't even feel
Like I have a place to live.
It was very hard on me.
I've known zeke all of my life,
But it was very difficult for me
All season
To establish how best to work
With him in the circumstances.
Narrator: now emily is living
In an abandoned shack.
Emily: at night,
It's gotten down to 8 degrees.
In the morning, when I wake up,
There's frost on my blankets.
[ Singing operatically ]
I'd like to get my master's
Of opera in vienna.
My goal was to get $20,000
Mining here in nome,
And I'll probably leave
With $10,000.
It's not enough
To pay for school,
But, you know, it's something,
And it was worth it.
Gold does strange things
To your mind and so does nome,
So the combination of the two,
It just -- it wears you down.
And I guess
I was pretty impressed
With my ability to do it.
It just made me realize
That I can handle
Whatever situation
That comes my way,
Because if I can handle
Dredging, I can handle anything.
[ Singing continues ]
Narrator:
A half-mile offshore
It's all or nothing today.
Narrator:
Scott meisterheim
And stan d'orio, captain
Of the 18-foot au2000
This is it, dude.
Are preparing
For what could be the last dive
Of the season.
Meisterheim: 32 degrees.
The water's ice-cold, man.
I'm gonna need a doctor
After this.
When the temperatures drop,
It just doubles everything.
It doubles your pain. It doubles
All your joints hurting.
It's just harder on you,
And when it becomes
Physically harder on you,
It becomes
Mentally harder on you.
But I didn't make very much
This season.
I have to go ou
Every time I can.
I have a huge urgency
To -- to make a lot of money.
And if I miss
Paying child support,
Big title on the forehead --
"Bad dad."
Can't have that.
If I'm not busting my a*s
Or breaking my neck
To get the job done, then
I'm not working hard enough.
Let's get at it.
Just might as well
Be doing it for fun.
Might as well treat I
Like a vacation,
Like you're in the [bleep]
Bahamas or something.
Narrator:
On the christine rose
We're gonna try to put as much
Gold in the box as possible.
The pomrenkes are powering
Through what could be
Their last digging day.
Steve p.: We're pushing it,
Because the north winds
Are gonna blow like hell
And it's gonna be wind chill
Down into damn near zero.
Shawn: we're at the las
Home-run stretch
Before mother nature
Makes us stop mining.
At the beginning of this season,
I was hoping for 1,000 ounces.
We've made it a little
Over the halfway mark
On our goal so far,
So we need more.
It's worth it to push it.
Narrator:
If they hit pay dirt,
They'll have enough
To make it through winter
And hopefully buy a plo
At the auction in 24 hours.
Shawn: we'll put gold
In the box here,
Because me and him
Know how to move dirt.
Narrator: and this could be
Shawn's last chance to prove
He can take the reins
Of the family operation.
I'll take over.
Shawn: all right. 10-4.
Steve p.: Shawn has came
A long way in the last season,
But I'm the dad,
And I know every fault of his.
Shawn is pretty much ready to
Take over the boat, you know,
But there's that one bad thing
About shawn, you know?
If something don't go right,
He automatically goes
Into a tirade.
You know, he's easy to --
Easy to get pissed off.
Narrator:
Half a mile off the coast
I'm diving in the wintertime.
Awesome.
Narrator: zeke is looking
To bank some gold for the winter
And the gold-claim auction
Tomorrow.
There's a lot of gold
On a lot of those leases,
And if you buy one,
You will have exclusive rights
To the gold on that lease.
I want to buy
One of those leases.
Okay.
This engine had better start.
It started in the harbor,
So better not fail me now.
I'd be furious.
Narrator: this engine powers
The suction hose and sluice box.
If zeke can't get it running,
He'll have no hope
At the auction.
[ Engine sputtering ]
Aah!
[ Clicking ]
Oh, yeah.
[ Engine sputtering ]
Pbht!
Let's check.
Gonna see if it'll fire up.
[ Engine sputtering ]
[ Engine sputtering ]
Come on! What the heck?
[ Engine sputtering faintly ]
Well [ sighs ]
Cooled off. It's over.
[ Sniffs ]
I'll go back in.
I gave it my best.
I really wanted a good dive day.
If everything was running,
I could've been k*lling I
All day,
But what are you gonna do?
Some more gold
Would be awesome, though.
Just a little more gold!
Just a little more gold.
Narrator:
A mile up the coast
Me and shawn, we stick it ou
To the bitter end here.
Undermanned,
Underpowered.
Narrator:
The christine rose
Is battling
The freezing conditions.
Shawn:
We got to make this count.
Steve p.:
We ran into a honey hole.
We were getting a lot of gold
In a short amount of time,
And we needed that.
But mother nature
Is not cooperating.
We got an east wind coming in,
15 To 20.
Really freezes things up
When the wind starts blowing.
Shawn:
It's getting a lot colder.
Steve p.: You got ice building
On everything,
And it starts to interfere with
The movement of the wash plant.
Something's gonna get broke.
We're down to the last buckets.
Pretty sad.
Pretty dang sad.
When your boat's frozen solid,
You can fight it and fight it,
But sooner or later, you got to
Give the pain away and quit.
Narrator:
A mile offshore
[ Engine idling ]
Ian foster
Is in his fifth hour of diving
On a golden hot spot.
Ian:
I sucked up a lot of gold.
I'm just trying to make
As much money as possible
For the six-month off-season.
I can feel little particles
Of ice
Hitting the back of my throa
As I breathe in.
There's ice in the hose.
Narrator:
In freezing temperatures,
Moisture from a diver's
Exhaled breath turns to ice.
Over time, the ice can build up
Inside the air line
And cut off the flow of oxygen
To the diver.
It's like breathing
Through a straw.
Ice in our air lines.
That affects my safety.
Narrator: ian's not sure
If adjusting the regulator
Has cleared the line.
Ian: I worry
About running out of air.
No breath, no pulse, no life.
Pretty simple.
But you don't stop
When you see good gold.
I want to get as much gold
As possible.
I'm willing to risk it.
Narrator: as nome succumbs
To winter's icy grip,
A mile offshore
Ian foster is in trouble.
Ice has formed in his air line,
Cutting off his oxygen supply.
[ Gasps, coughs ]
Ian: temperature's
Affecting everything.
Narrator:
The frigid north may have shu
The door on ian's season.
[ Engine shuts off ]
I committed everything
To making this work.
I mean, I quit my job.
One of my goals at the beginning
Of the season
Was just to work my butt off,
And I'm very, very pleased
With the results.
Narrator:
Back at the small-boat harbor
This is it.
This is d-day.
Narrator: with the ice
Moving in and no crew,
Owner vernon adkison
Is retiring the wild ranger
For the winter.
The gold coun
For the wild ranger
Is about 3/4 of an ounce.
Every time I came up here,
There was a differen
Song and dance
About why there was no gold
In the box.
[ Vehicle door closes ]
All right. Here it goes.
Narrator: vern dropped $100,000
Into the dredge
And collected only $1,200
In gold
Over the past three months.
Adkison: I got high hopes
That, next year,
It will be profitable.
I think
It's gonna be a gold-getter.
Narrator:
Someone else is also optimistic.
It was a tough season
This season,
But, you know, that's behind us.
Narrator: after months of abuse
From former captain scott
What good
Is a [bleep] com system
If you ain't gonna
Pay attention to it?!
We need him
On the team.
Steve made a decision
I'm not going to come back
And work with you.
I just want to move
One seat over.
All right.
I'm too close to you.
All right.
Narrator: now
I'm at vern's trailer here,
And I'm gonna talk to him
About the next season.
With scott gone
From the wild ranger,
Steve wants
Another chance.
Hey, vern.
Hey, steve.
Welcome.
Nice to see the ranger.
I got a list of modifications
I intend to make.
Make sure
She's ready to go.
And, then,
You'll be pleased to know
That your assessmen
Of scot
Pretty much ended up
Being dead on, dead on.
Steve r.: I think focusing
On what you're gonna do
In the next season to get gold,
I think that's where it's at.
That's it.
Adkison::
As far as I'm concerned,
If you're willing, we can
Give it a shot next year.
Next season, I'd be very happy
To work with you, vern.
Narrator:
Just offshore
Scott meisterheim is finding
Only small patches of fine gold
After four hours of dredging.
Meisterheim:
I know that I can't give up,
'Cause my daughters,
They're counting on me
To make this happen.
That's why I'm here
Till the end.
Narrator:
Scott spots some gold.
And more.
Among the golden chips
And flakes,
Scott spots a prize nugget.
[ Engine idling ]
D'orio: wow!
Weighing about an ounce,
It's worth around 1,700 bucks.
That's wha
I'm talking about.
All right! Get more!
Scott pushes hard
Until he cleans out the stretch.
D'orio:
I think christmas came early.
Meisterheim:
Sucked a lot of gold up.
There's a [bleep] ton of gold
In that box.
I just want you to know that.
All right!
On top of the haul
In the sluice box
Is an additional bounty
Worth about $10,000.
Tell you what. This is why
I'm here -- right here.
That's it.
That just made the whole season
Wonderful for me.
It just made it perfect.
[ Sighs ]
Now it's time to go home
And see the family.
Whoo!
Narrator: in 18 hours, plots
Of untouched ocean territory
Will be up for auction,
And the fleet is racing to turn
Their gold hauls into cash.
Over a
The pomrenkes' cleanup shed
Steve p.:
Here's a little pile of gold.
Narrator: steve and shawn
Have been working
Through the nigh
To refine their payload.
Steve p.:
I like seeing yellow.
Who gets to panning?
The old man.
What the hell you doing?
Shawn: I'm getting
The [bleep] out of there,
'Cause I didn't know
Where the water switch was.
What the [bleep]
Are you doing?
Sometimes
Shawn tests my patience.
I want to get something done
Every minute.
Shawn: my dad,
He's always criticizing me.
It pretty much
Just pissed me off.
You can [bleep] talk to me like
A normal [bleep] human being
And mind your [bleep] work!
I'm [bleep] tired of it, dad.
[Bleep] knock it off.
But, no, you got to
Start yelling and being
A [bleep] jackass.
[Bleep] dad.
I wasn't yelling.
I get aggravated 'cause
I want to do it my way
And not your way.
So, what -- I can't ge
The wheel set up
And get I
All ready to go?
It's ready to go!
What the [bleep] are you
Yelling for, you [bleep]?
Well --
Yeah, keep yelling [bleep]
Gold.
Keep [bleep] yelling.
Whatever.
See where it gets you.
Narrator:
On west beach
Ian:
This is gonna be, by far,
The biggest check I've ever
Received in my entire life.
Narrator: ian is meeting
With a local gold assayer
For auction funds.
Ian: with your own lease,
You can mine more effectively.
I'm definitely planning on
Participating in the lease sale.
I'll have to make some money a
It, though, before we get there.
Let's see
What you got here.
Okeydoke.
19.89.
[ Chuckles ]
Fair enough.
And there's you a check.
Yes, sir.
Thanks for coming out, man.
Thanks so much. You bet.
We'll see you later.
I'm lucky, really lucky,
That I have a success story.
I paid off my dredge,
And I have enough money
To take the off-season off,
Which is what I was
Looking to do at the
Beginning of the season.
This check's a miracle to me.
I can't wait to deposit tha
And see it in my bank account.
Narrator: in nome,
Deals are done everywhere,
Especially the local bar.
Hey, scott.
Kenny.
How's it going?
Hi. How you doing?
Kenny: good.
Narrator: scott's share
From his new dredge
Is his first score this season.
Meisterheim: more gold
Than I ever seen in my life.
That's a lot chunkier than wha
We normally see around here.
You guys must've found
A good spot.
By golly!
7.01 ounces there.
Narrator: the haul is worth
Almost $12,000,
Which is $12,000 more
Than scott made all season.
Okay. Here you go.
$12,000.
All right.
I'll take that.
Meisterheim: coming up here,
In the beginning,
It was always
About making money.
Finally, after three months
Of not collecting anything,
It happened, and I was able
To make it happen.
Narrator:
Back at the pomrenkes'
Shawn:
The hard work's almost over.
Steve p.: This is the fun par
Of it all --
Seeing all the yellow.
Narrator: after cleaning
For 12 straight hours,
Now steve and shawn
Are in the homestretch.
We're gonna set up a cooker
To dry this gold off.
We'll throw it on a scale,
And we'll see
What we have there.
166.6.
[ Both laugh ]
I love seeing that.
Narrator: this haul
Is worth almost $300,000.
Nice to see the bills get paid.
That's for damn sure.
We didn't beat each other up,
So that's good.
Close but not quite.
I love you.
I love you, too, dad.
I do.
I'm just a crabby, old guy.
I know. Sometimes.
[ Laughs ]
[ Laughs ]
In the center of town
How you doing?
Hey, john. All right.
The dredgers are gathering
For the most important even
Of the season.
I think everything's
Gonna change after today.
Narrator: it's the first time
In 12 years
That alaska's departmen
Of natural resources
Is auctioning rights
To dredge new parcels
Of untouched ocean territory.
My expectations are to pick up
Some ground to dredge on,
But you never know how much
They're gonna go for.
Narrator:
With 55 parcels of virgin
Bering seabed up for grabs
You should all take
A deep breath.
Hundreds are here for
The chance at unknown riches.
Do you know
What that fragrance is?
It's money, lots of money.
We'll go to tract 27.
Who's starting me off?
$50,000.
50,000 Dollar bills.
[ Gavel bangs ]
The bid's $57,000 in the back,
And your number is 175.
All done at $22,000 even.
Sir.
The bid's $10,000 even.
[ Gavel bangs ]
Number 175.
The bid's $21,000 even.
The bid's $41,000 by number 175.
The bid's $46,000
By number 175.
None of these leases
Are going for cheap.
Last call -- fair warning --
For $22,500.
Sir, you're top bidder
At $22,000 even.
We will be bidding
On the next tract.
There it is. $6,000.
Last call. Fair warning.
The bid's $20,000 by number 175.
Ian: the trac
That I'm going for, I mean,
I wasn't planning on spending
A lot of money today,
So we'll see
How it goes.
We're on the next tract,
Which is tract 28 -- 160 acres.
Who's starting me off?
$5,000 Bill.
Who will go $5,000?
$5,000? $7,500?
$5,000 Is the bid.
Would you go $7,500?
And now $10,000.
And $10,000 even.
$7,500, $10,000 Now,
$10,000 Now.
$15,000, $17,500.
And $17,500.
And now $20,000.
And $20,000 even.
$17,500 Is the bid.
Would you do $20,000?
Last call for $28,500.
The bid's $28,000.
Your number, sir?
I had a budge
Of $10,000.
So, we got to that in, like,
You know, the first two bids.
Tenhoff:
There's a select few people
That are pretty much buying
Most of everything up.
I want to be sure we ge
That one, you know -- 38.
Yeah.
Narrator: for shawn,
Only one lot matters.
38'S ours.
Get it, no matter what.
We got to spend
Everything we go
To secure that land
For 10 years.
We prospected that one quite
A bit, so I know what's there.
Gold is out there everywhere,
But it is not everywhere.
It is only in certain
Concentrated spots.
You have to pick those spots
Out, and shawn is good for that.
Narrator: with the pomrenkes'
Future at stake
Auctioneer: the next trac
We'll be selling is tract 38.
Okay.
Here we go, dad.
Narrator: shawn is desperate
To win the bid.
Who's starting me off?
$38,000. $38,000.
$37,000 Is the bid.
But he's go
Some tough competition.
Auctioneer: $38,000. $39,000.
$50,000 Bill.
$51,000. $52,000.
$53,000. $54,000.
$55,000. $56,000.
$56,000.
$56,000 One time.
Last call.
Narrator:
In nome, the dredging flee
Is at an auction
For virgin claims
That could hold millions
In gold
Auctioneer: $56,000 one time.
Last call.
$57,000. $58,000.
Narrator: and the pomrenkes
Are in a bidding w*r
For the largest tract of land.
Auctioneer:
$64,000. $65,000.
$66,000. $67,000.
$67,000.
Are you sure? $67,000.
$67,500.
$67,500 One time.
Last call for $67,500.
Last call for $67,500.
Are we all in and all done
At $67,000?
The bid's $67,000 by number --
Sir, your number?
You're the top bidder?
Yep.
Okay.
So, tract number 38.
Yeah, I know
What tract it is.
Steve p.: We're really happy
That we got that tract of land,
And hopefully
There's good gold on it.
You don't have to do that.
Cool.
Pass it on.
All right.
Thank you, sir.
Thank you.
Now I got ground to work
For the next 10 years,
So it was a good day.
Narrator:
After days of threatening,
The freeze finally arrives,
And dredging is now impossible.
The final gold tally is in.
After a long, grueling season,
Every dredge has made enough
To weather the winter,
Except for the wild ranger
And scott meisterheim.
Now it's time
For the salty warriors
To lick their wounds
And try to move on.
The sluicey needs to hibernate.
This season,
I felt tired every single day,
But I got up
And kept on working,
And all of a sudden,
I've got a bunch of gold now,
And all these plans,
These big plans that I had,
Are very realistic.
Let's do it.
I'm a full-time dredger now.
I'm not going back
To a social-work job.
We got her.
I need to get the dredge
Off the beach
Before it gets iced in.
I hit about twice as much
As I've done
In the last three seasons,
So that's really encouraging.
It's ready to roll.
Me and emily, it got kind of
Ugly there for a little while,
But in the end,
We're still friends,
And, you know, she'll remain
My friend in the future.
I say
We push it forward.
[ Laughs ]
If we do work together
In the future,
I'm not really sure
What capacity it'll be.
I'm not really sure
How we'll work together.
But I have a lot of respec
For her,
And I think she has respec
For me.
This is gonna really hurt.
All right.
Whoo! [ Laughs ]
In spite of the difficulty
Of dredge mining,
Everything I went through
This last season
Emotionally and physically,
I want to give it another shot.
Nome hasn't beaten me yet.
Steve r.: Did I make money?
Did I lose money?
You know,
That's not why I came up here.
I came up here
To watch after my daughter,
To protect her,
And to look after her.
Seeing her
And how much steel she had
Was so impressive.
I was so proud of her.
At the beginning of the year,
We were hoping for 1,000 ounces.
We didn't make 1,000,
But we made enough.
Steve p.: Sometimes
Shawn tests my patience.
He's a little wild and crazy,
But shawn's getting better
Every year.
I positively will be
On that barge next year yet,
But I'm hoping after that,
That I can get off.
Does he really wan
To take the barge over?
I kind of wonder sometimes.
This year, it was a bust.
Bottom line is the wild ranger
Didn't produce.
But we'll be back next season,
And it'll be better than ever.
[ Chuckling ] it'll have to
Be better than this season.
Meisterheim: all right.
We're pulling the dredge out.
This is it. Frozen.
The best thing
That happened to me this season
Was walking away
From the wild ranger.
I didn't get the financial par
Of it that I wanted,
But I don't consider the season
A failure in any way.
I came up here. I did my job.
I tried to make an income.
I tried to pay my bills.
A lot of people out there
Can't say that.
It was hard, but I survived it,
As I do everything in my life.
Might come down to the very end
And almost give up every time,
But I never do.
And, yeah,
I'm committed to doing it again.
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01x08 - The Bitter End
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The show follows boats equipped with various setups to achieve gold mining in a summertime, cold northern latitude, shallow water, ocean environment.
The show follows boats equipped with various setups to achieve gold mining in a summertime, cold northern latitude, shallow water, ocean environment.