Gold Rush: Dave Turin's Lost Mine (2019–…): Season 2, Episode 8 - All In - full transcript
♪
I've been here an extra 24 hours
waiting for this plane
and hoping and praying
that it gets here
so that I can get back.
Got unfinished business.
Narrator: In the frozen
alaskan wilderness,
dave turin is forced to wait out
an early winter storm.
I got to go back to montana
and pull a miracle off,
even to get 200 ounces of gold.
This is it, man.
We're going home.
Thanks, brother.
The weather in montana
is getting worse every day.
But I still believe
we have time to go home
with good gold
for our families.
Narrator: 2,000 miles south,
arctic conditions have shut down
dave's operation
for the last three days.
Jesse: This is some
cold-ass weather.
This concentrate
is frozen solid.
So this is just kind of
a wake-up call for us.
Right now, it's about
negative 2.
It's bad.
We can't fire up in this.
Oh, [bleep]!
Big old solid chunk
of ice, brother.
You ain't getting this out.
-Oh, [bleep]
nathan:
I'm worried about the hose.
This guy has
some water in it.
I'm worried about --
if it's, you know, too thick,
we're gonna have some
that's messed up.
So I'm gonna go back
to this trailer here.
So, it's...
There you go.
That's how thick
the ice is right now.
About 4 inches.
I'd say winter's
definitely here.
What do you think?
Oh, yeah, it's here.
Nathan: We'll fire it tomorrow,
hopefully.
We're never out of the fight.
We're gonna go out there
and we're gonna give it
all we've got,
kick mother nature
in the [bleep] nuts.
♪
captions paid for by
discovery communications
dave:
The season is almost over.
Come on, give me some gold!
I was brought up to believe
that our great nation was built
on honest hard work,
respect for others,
and a sense of adventure.
Whoo! Yeah!
And with this belief,
nine weeks ago...
Here we go,
here we go!
...I took five hard, good men
with their machines
into the wilderness...
Can't wait to see what's
at the end.
Dave: ...To prove
there is gold to be found,
if you have what it takes.
-Put some rocks in the box!
-Yeah, buddy!
Dave: All season,
it's been an epic struggle
to get the gold
the old-timers missed.
That seam is gone now.
We really don't have
any dirt.
But with freezing weather...
[bleep]
...Threatening
to end this season early...
Nothing wants to work.
...I changed our target
to cover my costs...
200 is amazing.
We're gonna kick ass.
...And give us
the best shot
at going home with money
in all of our pockets.
-Everybody in?
-All in!
Dave: Now we're on ground that
could get us to our new goal.
Right under our nose,
and we didn't even know it.
-It's 6-5 right there.
-Holy freaking crap!
Dave: It all comes down to these
final hours in the season.
We have to find no less than
200 ounces to make a profit.
Now it's either do or die.
♪
♪
narrator:
After an arctic blast,
the mercury finally begins
to rise in montana.
Dave returns to join
team turin's fight
against
the freezing weather.
But with a season-ending
snowstorm predicted
in just three days,
time is running out.
♪
boy, is it ever cold here.
Very cold.
-Hey!
-You're back! How was alaska?
-Hey, guys.
-Oh, lordy!
I made it back safe.
I know I'm two days late,
but I do have something
to show you guys.
I want you to listen.
-Oh, wow!
-Yeah?
There's some
nuggets there, guys.
It was a good trip,
okay?
That right there was one pan.
-Really?
-Get out of here!
Dave: So there's a lot
going for it,
but it is super expensive.
It's remote.
It's rugged.
The only way in
is by airplane.
Where's that money
gonna come from to even go?
Dave: Now we need to take it
to the next level.
Finish this season strong,
and hit 200 ounces.
We still got ground left.
We've got a lot to move.
We've got a window
in the weather right now.
It's clear, sunny.
This may be
our only opportunity.
-You're right.
-Let's give it a try, you guys.
Dave: Alright,
let's get to work.
Let's go.
Narrator: In 10 weeks,
team turin have mined out
four cuts
across 1,400 acres of birdseye.
But their fifth cut,
the blue room,
is producing
the team's best gold yet.
Before the weather
shut them down,
over $15,000 of gold
was pulled from the ground
in just two days.
Now, to get
the 40 ounces they need
to make dave's
200-ounce target...
Dave: It's really encased
in the ice,
and that ice is thick.
Narrator: ...Team turin must
take the fight to mother nature.
Well, we've had to break ice
out in the yukon before.
It's just a pain in the butt.
It takes a lot of time.
Come on, baby!
♪
nathan: We're gonna end up
breaking the cage out.
It's probably gonna break
the cage to [bleep] pieces.
Got to get
a suction hose out,
we got to get
some torches on it,
and start melting some ice
out of it.
It's gonna be
a rough [bleep] day.
Hose is free. Now we just
got to heat up the frozen areas.
♪
see this right here?
Can you see the hump in it?
That's a chunk of ice
right here.
What we're gonna do
is break them loose,
lift it up with the excavator,
and try to get it
completely drained out.
Narrator: Seven lengths of hose
totaling 245 feet
pump water
from the pond to the plant.
But each section
is frozen solid.
Before the team can run water,
the hose must be broken apart,
thawed, and cleared of ice
and debris.
[ clanging ]
you want some more?
Yeah!
She's frozen solid.
We're getting there, though.
Gonna hook that one up, see if
it'll pump water through it.
Narrator: With the ice
busted out of the pipes,
dave uses water pressure...
Dave:
Water's coming on!
[ motor starts ]
run!
Narrator:
...And brute force
to blast out
the remaining chunks.
-That's how much slush we have.
-There you go.
-Come on, casey, you can do it!
-It's out, yeah?
Nathan: Whoo!
Come on casey, get it!
Show mother nature who's boss!
We've got water!
-Attaboy, dave!
-We got water.
-Whoo!
-We got water.
-We can sluice.
-Yeah, buddy!
Alright, turning it on.
Yeah, baby! Whoo!
I love the sound of that.
Alright, chris, we got water.
It's going on.
Everything's turning,
everything's burning.
Rocks in a box, buddy.
We're up and running.
Feels good.
It's been silent around here
for the last 3 1/2 days.
Gonna be good to hear
some clankety-clank going on
in that trommel.
We got all the water going.
It took us about four
or five hours,
but we're back in the game.
♪
♪
♪
narrator: For the first time
in four days,
team turin run pay dirt
through the plant...
Looks good to me.
...And see gold.
Nice big old piece in there.
Tons of gold!
-Yeah!
-[ laughing ]
alright, man!
♪
♪
oh, I'm nervous.
We're on the best gold
we've seen all year.
That blue room cut
is really producing.
But we've got bad weather
coming in.
We've got these last few days
of good weather
to get to 200 ounces
before the next cold snap comes.
So I got to do
something drastic.
We're gonna have to run
into the night.
It's hard to say what
the ground's gonna give me,
but if we start to pull, say,
10 to 12 ounces per shift,
we're gonna hit our 200 ounces.
It's fourth quarter,
and we're behind.
So this is it.
When that cold snap hits,
it's over.
Narrator: Coming up...
Dave: Everything's riding
on this.
Narrator: ...Team turin
push into the night.
Stress level's a lot,
lot higher.
[bleep] loaders.
Narrator:
And as temperatures plunge...
[ thunder rumbles ]
we got negative 1 coming up,
two or three days in a row.
Dave: Weather's no good
for men or machines.
Narrator:
...Gold totals rise.
How's it looking, dave?
Well, that's it.
That's our season total.
♪
-in montana...
-Let's get some dirt!
Let's get that blue room cut
in the trommel!
Let's let her
eat it up!
Narrator: After a cold snap
shut down the operation,
a break in the weather means
dave and his crew can push hard
on the last cut
of the season...
Let's put rocks in a box,
buddy.
Narrator:
...The gold-rich blue room...
Dave: Yeah, this is the cut
that's gonna put us over 200.
We get over 200 ounces,
everybody's gonna walk away
from here with some gold.
Narrator: But with 40 ounces
still to find
and a season-ending storm
forecast,
dave must roll the dice.
Dave: I have to do the work
of two guys right now,
because jason and casey
are sleeping.
So we're gonna try
to run a double shift
and see what happens.
We're gonna push hard.
We're gonna go night shift.
♪
narrator:
From here on out,
dave will split the crew to run
the wash plant 24 hours a day.
To get ready
for the night shift,
chris and dave
stockpile pay dirt.
Dave's wanting to get the pay
to the pay pile,
make sure casey and jason have
enough dirt to run tonight.
I don't know if this is
gonna work or not.
If it gets into the teens,
they're gonna have
to be careful if they shut down
and that thing
starts to freeze up.
So the main thing is to keep
the day shift running,
and the night shift
with two guys.
They'll only be able to go
as long as we got dirt.
So that's up to me to make sure
they got enough dirt
to last through the night.
That should do it.
Narrator: Tonight,
excavator operator jason
will be loading dirt
into the hopper.
Chris, you guys copy?
Yes, sir.
Mind if I jump up there
when you back down?
I'll do my best to not
jack up your rhythm
or your location down here.
Oh, you'll do fine.
Rock truck driver casey
will be in charge
of running the wash plant.
You make damn sure
that feeder stays full, though.
Seriously.
It takes...
It took about five minutes.
By the time
he puts one in there
and it hits, it's...
You'll whitewash some gold
if you're not
paying attention.
-Okay. Roger that.
-Yeah?
-I got it.
-Thanks, dude.
Narrator:
Fresh water cleans pay dirt
off the rocks in the trommel
and washes it down
the sluice box,
where the gold is captured.
Casey and jason must make sure
there is always enough
pay dirt in this system,
so they don't run clean water
through the sluice.
Sometimes known
as whitewashing, clean water
can flush out the fine gold
trapped in the mats and riffles.
To prevent loosing
precious gold,
casey will be forced
to shut down the plant.
Jason and casey
got the night shift.
That's a tough job,
and I'm nervous about it.
I mean,
everything's riding on this.
I just hope they get along.
It wasn't me!
Narrator:
Casey and jason haven't
always seen eye to eye.
So you think
because you're standing there,
you don't need to top this?
[bleep]
he doesn't need to be a [bleep]
jackass about everything.
Narrator:
But with the success of the
season hanging in the balance,
tonight they must pull together.
Right now,
I've never run the plant.
This is nathan's world,
but we've got to push all night,
and he can't work 24/7,
so we all got to take
each other's responsibilities.
Jason and I have
our ups and downs,
but we've just got to make sure
this plant stays running.
Last time we did this
was last season,
but we had five guys working.
This time, it's on us.
Stress level's a lot,
lot higher.
♪
well, recommendation
number one --
run the operation
in the daylight
prior to attempting it
in the dark.
Probably make my life
a lot easier.
There's a few trees that,
it's like, "oh, [bleep]!
I forgot you were there."
♪
everything's spinning
like it should.
Want to make sure
that box is full of gold.
Starting to get a rhythm.
I got the location pattern
starting to, you know,
get set in my muscle memory.
So, should be all good
from here on out.
Jason: Man, it is one dark,
dark night tonight, casey.
It sure is,
but got to keep turning,
get that gold in the box.
Every little ounce counts
at this point.
[ yawns ]
[bleep]
-hey, casey. You copy?
-Yeah, go ahead, jason.
We need fuel.
Well, that's a problem.
Narrator: Stopping to refuel
leaves the plant unfed
and risks whitewashing gold
out of the sluice.
Casey: I don't want
to shut down.
In this cold, I don't even know
if we can fire it back up.
It's starting to snow.
I've seen a few flakes
coming down.
But here we are,
running out of fuel.
Narrator: If casey shuts down
the wash plant
in these freezing temperatures,
he won't be able to restart.
They'll lose at least
six hours of vital sluicing
and put reaching
their 200-ounce goal at risk.
If I have to make the decision,
I have to make the decision,
but I don't want to spit gold
out of the box.
Then this whole day
would have been for nothing.
[bleep] loaders.
How much fuel do you have,
though?
Are you just completely on "e,"
or is your light on?
I just know we're gonna need
to figure something out here
soon, buddy.
I truly am at a point
right now
as an operator
of a piece of equipment,
that I don't know
how long it takes to fuel it.
I don't have a clue.
I don't know how long it's gonna
go through the hopper.
All I know is I'm gonna stuff
as much in there as I can,
and then I'm gonna go
try and fuel.
Narrator:
Jason has just five minutes
to refuel before the pay
in the hopper runs out,
forcing casey to shut down
the plant for the night.
Last bucket, casey, then
I'm hauling ass to the fuel.
If I make it.
I got to see
if I can get it fueled
before the plant runs dry.
I should have looked
when I jumped into the loader.
Never crossed my mind.
I had the thought of the night
ahead of me on my mind.
I don't have a lot of pay dirt
left coming through.
It's starting to thin out.
You got to hurry up
on the fueling.
Alright, jason, I don't think
we're gonna make it.
Here I come, jase.
10-4, we're about
to run out of pay.
It's gonna be a close one.
I don't want to shut down,
but I don't want to spit gold
out of the box.
Narrator: Halfway through
team turin's night shift,
jason has to stop feeding
the hopper to refuel the loader.
Jason: I got to see
if I can get it fueled
before the plant runs dry.
Narrator: If the plant runs
without pay,
it could wash the gold
out of the sluice
or force them to shut down.
Here I come, jase.
10-4, we're about
to run out of pay.
It's gonna be a close one.
[ dirt clattering ]
shh!
[ vehicle approaching ]
jason: I got it.
I'm coming.
Alright, man!
Here I come, baby.
I'm bringing the pay.
♪
whoo, yeah! Whoo!
♪
hey, who owns night shift?
-We do!
-We own night shift.
Casey:
We got enough fuel
and enough pay to run through
the rest of the night.
We're looking really good.
Good job, man.
So, good news.
We got the feed into the plant.
We had no problem.
We own the night.
♪
we made it.
I don't know how much we added.
I just know we added
more than we started with.
Mm-hmm. That'll work.
Well, look who it is!
Dave:
Trommel's standing.
-It's not in the pond.
-That's about it.
Dave: So you guys had
a good night, though?
Good run?
-Yeah, yeah.
-Guys, good job, night shift.
-Yeah.
Dave: Why don't we
get this all cleaned up,
and then you guys better
go get some sleep.
Jason: Case and I did it.
We made it through it.
And we worked through all
the stresses that came our way.
And I don't think he called
me [bleep] or anything,
so it was a great night.
[ laughs ]
-let's do it, guys.
-Alright.
Casey: There's gold in the box,
nothing's broke, so I'm happy.
Worked together pretty good
last night.
We've have our differences
at times, but we got through it.
Good job, man.
Yeah, good job, brother.
Narrator:
While jason and casey catch up
on some hard-earned rest...
Nathan: Okay.
[ motor sputtering ]
trommel coming on!
Narrator:
...The day shift push on.
♪
weather's moving in on us.
I don't know if we're
gonna reach our target.
We're full steam ahead,
trying to get as much pay dirt
as we can out of this
blue room cut.
That means more gold --
more gold back to our families.
Narrator:
But reports filter through
about the incoming
weather front.
Right when I thought
I was gonna make the 200 ounces,
the weather forecast is calling
for a lot of snow tonight.
And it sounds like it's gonna be
a pretty extreme storm.
♪
narrator: Despite
the freezing conditions,
the team have run the wash plant
for almost 36 hours straight.
-Alright, shut her down, nate.
-800 tons today. Great day.
Good run. Good gold.
Good blue room.
[ motor shuts down ]
whoo!
Narrator: With an arctic
superstorm hours away,
dave shuts down...
-That's it. Let's pack it up.
...To winterize the equipment
and protect it
from the elements.
Gonna break off
the connections.
Hey, you know what? It took us,
what, five hours the other day
to get fired up and running?
So we don't want that again.
Nobody does.
Dave: In the yukon,
we'd have situations like this.
This is called
preventive maintenance.
Yeah, we're just trying to throw
some insulation on here.
This is our diaphragm
that pulls, sucks it up.
So we got to try
to keep it warm.
Hopefully it's not too cold
in the morning.
17.
Yikes.
[ laughs ]
skies are dark.
Snow's coming.
[ exhales sharply ]
cold, cold weather.
♪
[ thunder rumbles ]
narrator:
Overnight, the storm rages
and temperatures plummet.
Look, guys, we're close.
But it's cold, cold, cold today.
I'm not done. We got a pile
of pay sitting there.
Narrator: Despite
the punishing conditions,
dave needs one last push
from his team.
Dave: I need 40 ounces.
With what you got
in the gold room,
two days,
long days of running,
and that pay pile that's sitting
there, we can get to 200.
Let's give it a shot.
-When?
Right now. We're losing
daylight, man. I say we go.
If you guys can get running,
I think we can make it.
Let's go. I'm all in.
-Alright.
-Worth a try.
-Let's go do this, boys.
-You guys all in for 200?
-Can we do it?
-Oh, yeah!
200 ounces.
One, two, three.
Together: 200!
Dave: At minus 8
with a wind chill, that's cold.
Frostbite's real.
Hypothermia's real.
So we got to really be careful,
watch out for each other.
But, last year,
we did not hit our goal.
This year, by god,
we're gonna hit it.
Nathan: Everything's
a little frozen,
but we're gonna get fired up
and get running here.
Narrator: First, nathan must
thaw out the trommel...
Let's do it, boys.
...While the crew
reconnect the pump.
I'm ready when you are
with the water, nate.
Alright, dave, gonna let the
belt warm up for just a second,
and we'll get the trommel
rolling first before we do that.
10-4.
Trommel coming on!
Alright, trommel coming on.
She ain't gonna go.
Trommel is not even trying
to freaking spin over at all.
At all.
♪
what do you need?
We could use the excavator
to force it, to break the ice.
Alright.
I'll bring the excavator up,
try to get it rolling for you.
It should go.
Get out of here.
Oh, geez louise. We broke loose.
We got rain in
before the snow came in,
so it really iced
everything up real good.
Dave: There we go.
♪
weather's no good
for men or machines.
Hopper on.
Feed conveyor on.
Let's roll the trommel.
Over.
Alright, dave, on three.
One, two, three, go!
♪
come on, baby.
There it goes, yeah!
[ thunking, chain clattering ]
oh, [bleep]
oh, [bleep] nathan!
Nathan, nathan!
Stop, stop, stop!
It's all stopped.
Electricity's down.
Son of a [bleep]
narrator:
Coming up...
I say we at least give it
one more shot.
If we can find something
just to work temporarily,
that's all we need.
Narrator:
One final frozen fix...
It's damn dead.
...Stands between team turin...
And the gold.
Been a hell of a season.
Here's the deal.
That's our season total.
♪
♪
[ tools clattering ]
-what's going on?
Why aren't we running?
-Busted chain.
Narrator: Deep into
montana's brutal winter,
and short of their season goal,
team turin need
the payday of a lifetime.
You got to be [bleep] me.
Narrator: With only hours
of the season remaining,
a pin has snapped
on the trommel chain,
threatening
dave's 200-ounce target.
Forced it over.
It looks like the pin
sheered.
[bleep]
that ain't good, dave.
If we can get that pin
in there,
we get that chain on
and that trommel rolls,
I say we at least give it
one more shot.
Trying to look to see
if I have anything.
We got a bunch of left-over
bolts and stuff like that.
But that pin there,
it's damn big,
and all these are way too small
and not long enough.
I've been around machinery now
about 15 years.
If we can find something
just to work temporarily,
till we run that dirt,
that's all we need.
That's too long.
That's too small.
I got something here,
though.
[ banging ]
yeah, that's got to be about
the right length, dude.
We got something!
Dave,
I think I found something.
See if this will work.
That bar
in the back of the haul truck,
it's the same width
as that chain.
No way.
Yeah.
I think it's gonna fit.
Come on, baby.
Let me heat it up.
Boom! Look at that!
Ice coming out of the end of it.
[bleep]
aha! There we go.
Look at that!
Hey!
Hey, it fits!
Yeah, we're in.
Narrator: With the bolt
welded in place...
Got it!
...Success rests
on the trommel turning over.
Say a little prayer, boys.
Nathan: Alright, boys,
got feed conveyor coming on.
[ machine whirring ]
turning the hopper on.
Trommel coming on.
Dave:
Come on, baby.
[ clanking ]
both: Yeah!
♪
chris, we got the trommel.
Give me some water.
Getting water.
Whoo!
Narrator:
With the plant rolling,
team turin
must make up for lost time.
Alright, we're ready to roll.
Chris, jump in your loader.
Jason, I need you
in the excavator.
Casey, grab your truck.
We're ready to roll, boys.
We're not stopping
till we hit 200.
We got the trommel going.
We got the water to the plant
I've got to get to the loader.
I can't talk to you right now.
So, we fixed the chain
on the trommel,
and there's a lot of good gold
right here in the ground.
The best we've seen all season.
Can't stop now.
♪
nathan: I'll crank this
son of a [bleep].
♪
we'll keep on running
through the night,
until all that pay is ran out.
Well, it's getting dark,
you know,
so we'll get some of
the lights turned on.
Okay, the pay pile's
going down quite a bit.
We're gonna run
into the night some.
The guys are busting ass,
and that's the only way
we're gonna get to 200 ounces.
Jesse's in the gold room.
We've been piling up
the concentrate.
I hope the ground stays
as good as it's been.
We got to get it done.
One more push, and then they can
go home to their families.
Okay, jason,
last load of the season.
You ready for this?
-Right here, buddy.
Fill you up,
send you on,
and then it's all
in chris' hands.
Narrator: As jason loads casey
with the last dirt
from the blue room, team turin
are on the home stretch.
It's been a long road.
[ horn honking ]
working these conditions,
most people would quit.
Mother nature, right now, she's
packing storm after storm on us,
but what the hell are we
gonna do? We gonna go home?
Not us.
We're gonna stick through it.
We're gonna fight.
That's the name of the game.
It's time to put gold
across the table.
What's up, chris?
Chris:
Hey, we're running out of pay.
We've about done it, dave.
This is about
the last load, right here.
We did it, buddy.
Okay, chris, call last bucket.
Here you go, fellas.
Here it is.
We'll take her slow and sweet
right here.
Good job, you guys.
Good job, you guys.
Think that's about it, buddy.
Give me a big hug.
Oh, man!
Word's can't describe how proud
I am, of them and myself.
Hey!
-Did we do it?
I left a lot behind
to come do this stuff.
But, you know,
lots of good heart here.
Heart takes you
a long ways in life,
and all these boys got it.
Proud of you, man.
I love you, too.
I wouldn't be here if --
we did it.
Oh, we did it.
Shut her down!
Alright, boys, the trommel
is being turned off.
Casey!
[ all cheering ]
-good job!
-Come on, buddy!
-Hey!
-Good job, casey!
What do you think, boys?
Let's clean her up.
Last cleanup of the season!
-Whoo!
Narrator: Despite
the extreme conditions,
dave and his crew
have beaten the odds
and run 1,800 tons of dirt
through the plant in 15 hours.
Nathan: I ain't counting
my chickens before they hatch.
Well, we got to wait and see,
get it on the table.
I got to hand it to them.
There's no quit.
No quit in these guys.
Leave this one here,
for a water wash-down.
We had pay that we needed
to get through this plant,
and we found a way
to do it.
-Oh, yeah!
-Whoo!
I asked the question,
could I put a team
like that together,
that were good men,
good hearts, good family guys,
and make miners out of them?
And guess what.
I did.
[ inhales deeply ]
[voice breaking]
and I would put this team
with any team I've ever been on.
They're much better
because they got the heart.
And that's my family.
-Well done.
-Well done, man.
-Good job, people.
-Good, fine job.
We formed bonds that probably
will never, ever be broken,
and we'll build a mine anywhere
in the world with these guys.
And the hard work
and dedication from our leader,
dave, got us through.
We got the last bit of the pay.
-Look at that, guys.
-That's good gold right there.
-Oh, yeah.
And now it's just up for jesse
to run it on the table
and find out what we got.
Narrator:
As chris transports the last
concentrate of the season,
it's a waiting game to see
if they've hit their target.
Jesse:
It's the finale now.
The gold room's
the most important piece.
This stuff is done.
We can start packing this up.
Now it's up to me
to clean the gold
and hopefully reach that number.
♪
the first shovel of the last
cleanup, right here, jesse.
I'm excited, dave.
Narrator:
Dave and jesse must process
four long days of concentrate
to reveal the final gold count.
Seeing some gold already.
Here it comes.
Here it comes.
Anything under 200
is a failure.
Well, we'll never know
until we weigh it up.
We hit that goal,
and I walk through the door
and can actually pay
some bills...
Then the time away
is gonna be worth it.
Where's dave and jesse?
'cause the anxiety
and waiting...
[ tapping ]
come on, big numbers.
How's it looking, dave?
♪
that's it.
That's our season total.
Hey, guys!
Narrator: After running
a successful night shift,
casey is moving up the ranks
in team turin.
Thanks, casey.
One last thing, buddy.
You've been promoted.
Yeah!
Whoo!
Shut her down! Whoo! Whoo!
[ laughter ]
[ laughs ] what? Shut her --
hey, I got to go blue room.
[ laughing ]
[ laughs ]
-welcome to montana, fellas.
-10 weeks ago...
Let's go!
Narrator: ...Dave turin
made his crew partners...
I'd like to give
all you guys 5%.
Together: Team turin!
Narrator: ...And a promise
they would all make good money
in the lost mines of montana.
We're all just sitting here
looking at a pile of rocks.
But they struggled to find
the gold-rich ground...
Your promised me
$10 to $15 a yard.
I packed up all my [bleep]
to come out here for this, dude.
-I think it's time to go home.
-...Battled busted equipment...
Dave: Nathan!
Nathan, nathan! Stop, stop!
Narrator: ...And reached
breaking point.
You're on him 24/7.
And everything's against us.
Narrator: Forced to correct
their 400-ounce target...
I really think
200 is reachable.
Narrator: ...They pushed on
into montana's brutal winter...
We're not stopping
till we hit 200.
-Yeah, casey! Get it!
-Yeah!
Chris, call last bucket.
Narrator:
...For one last chance
to take gold home
to their families.
-Got the last load right here.
-Really proud of you guys.
-Good job.
-Yeah! Whoo!
That's it.
That's our season total.
Narrator: Now it's the moment
of truth for team turin.
We've been
through hell and back.
I mean, let's face it.
It was breakdowns,
cold weather.
This place was chewing us up
and spitting us out.
You leave blood,
sweat, and tears
in everything you can out here
on the claim.
The last thing you want to do
is go home empty-handed.
Nathan: I left a lot.
I left a good-paying job
and everything else.
Left a wife and son behind.
But I want to make history.
I don't want to follow history.
♪
been a hell of a season,
and I'm proud of all you guys.
And before I talk
about the gold,
I just want to tell you,
for me,
the whole success of this season
is what we've accomplished.
We have something special.
You're all family to me.
We went through a lot.
Remember what we left with?
All in.
-All in.
-That's right.
-And all in, we were.
Regardless of how much
gold's in that bag,
I still feel like
we were a success.
'cause here's the deal.
We didn't hit 200 ounces.
♪
we hit 225.1!
-Yeah! Yeah!
-Holy crap!
-225.1! Yeah, baby!
[ laughter ]
we blew over 200!
Narrator:
In the last four days,
team turin mined
over 66 ounces of gold...
Dude, that's awesome.
Narrator: ...Ending the season
on a gold total
worth over $350,000.
For that, here's your 5%
of the gold, you guys.
-Alright!
-Merry christmas.
-We blew up 225.1!
-Not too shabby.
Hell of a lot better
than last season, dave.
[ laughs ]
casey: I'm proud of everything
we've done out here.
We stuck with it.
We charged on,
and look, we've got gold
in our pockets, and we're happy.
Not too bad for some
tramp miners, huh?
You know, last season,
I found some good friends.
This season,
I found family.
Jesse: Dave offered us to leave
because the gold wasn't good,
and we all hung in there,
and it paid off.
We've got the gold
to prove it.
One man will appreciate it,
and that man's my dad.
While putting all that
extra burden on your family
and all that time away,
when you walk through the door
with something to show for that,
you feel like...
You feel like you're
contributing to your family.
-I love you, big sugar.
-Love you, too.
-Thank you, buddy.
-Oh, you're welcome.
For us to pull 225 ounces
is amazing.
Last year, we didn't
quite reach our goal.
This year, we hit our goal
and went over it.
We proved that you can
find gold
in these lost
and abandoned mines.
But the gold I got
that I'll put in the bank,
pay the bills, doesn't mean
nearly as much as the gold
I got in this team.
It's a sense of accomplishment,
that you can take
a group of guys
that have heart
and respect each other,
and make a first-class
mining team out of them.
We became a family.
-A toast!
-This is awesome, dave.
-Oh, I got to watch myself.
Gonna turn into a big crybaby.
-[ laughing ]
-good job, buddy.
-Yeah.
-It's time to go home!
-I'm going home.
Dave: These guys are
professional miners now,
and I'll take them anywhere.
So we're gonna take it
to the next level.
You guys want to do it again?
-Oh, yeah.
-Oh, yeah.
I think we've got some
great things ahead of us.
I really do.
Next year, this team's
ready for big things.
I don't know
if it's underground
or if it's at
the end of the earth.
Who knows?
The next one could be
that lucky lotto ticket
worth millions of dollars.
But we're gonna be back,
this team,
and we're gonna do it.
♪
I've been here an extra 24 hours
waiting for this plane
and hoping and praying
that it gets here
so that I can get back.
Got unfinished business.
Narrator: In the frozen
alaskan wilderness,
dave turin is forced to wait out
an early winter storm.
I got to go back to montana
and pull a miracle off,
even to get 200 ounces of gold.
This is it, man.
We're going home.
Thanks, brother.
The weather in montana
is getting worse every day.
But I still believe
we have time to go home
with good gold
for our families.
Narrator: 2,000 miles south,
arctic conditions have shut down
dave's operation
for the last three days.
Jesse: This is some
cold-ass weather.
This concentrate
is frozen solid.
So this is just kind of
a wake-up call for us.
Right now, it's about
negative 2.
It's bad.
We can't fire up in this.
Oh, [bleep]!
Big old solid chunk
of ice, brother.
You ain't getting this out.
-Oh, [bleep]
nathan:
I'm worried about the hose.
This guy has
some water in it.
I'm worried about --
if it's, you know, too thick,
we're gonna have some
that's messed up.
So I'm gonna go back
to this trailer here.
So, it's...
There you go.
That's how thick
the ice is right now.
About 4 inches.
I'd say winter's
definitely here.
What do you think?
Oh, yeah, it's here.
Nathan: We'll fire it tomorrow,
hopefully.
We're never out of the fight.
We're gonna go out there
and we're gonna give it
all we've got,
kick mother nature
in the [bleep] nuts.
♪
captions paid for by
discovery communications
dave:
The season is almost over.
Come on, give me some gold!
I was brought up to believe
that our great nation was built
on honest hard work,
respect for others,
and a sense of adventure.
Whoo! Yeah!
And with this belief,
nine weeks ago...
Here we go,
here we go!
...I took five hard, good men
with their machines
into the wilderness...
Can't wait to see what's
at the end.
Dave: ...To prove
there is gold to be found,
if you have what it takes.
-Put some rocks in the box!
-Yeah, buddy!
Dave: All season,
it's been an epic struggle
to get the gold
the old-timers missed.
That seam is gone now.
We really don't have
any dirt.
But with freezing weather...
[bleep]
...Threatening
to end this season early...
Nothing wants to work.
...I changed our target
to cover my costs...
200 is amazing.
We're gonna kick ass.
...And give us
the best shot
at going home with money
in all of our pockets.
-Everybody in?
-All in!
Dave: Now we're on ground that
could get us to our new goal.
Right under our nose,
and we didn't even know it.
-It's 6-5 right there.
-Holy freaking crap!
Dave: It all comes down to these
final hours in the season.
We have to find no less than
200 ounces to make a profit.
Now it's either do or die.
♪
♪
narrator:
After an arctic blast,
the mercury finally begins
to rise in montana.
Dave returns to join
team turin's fight
against
the freezing weather.
But with a season-ending
snowstorm predicted
in just three days,
time is running out.
♪
boy, is it ever cold here.
Very cold.
-Hey!
-You're back! How was alaska?
-Hey, guys.
-Oh, lordy!
I made it back safe.
I know I'm two days late,
but I do have something
to show you guys.
I want you to listen.
-Oh, wow!
-Yeah?
There's some
nuggets there, guys.
It was a good trip,
okay?
That right there was one pan.
-Really?
-Get out of here!
Dave: So there's a lot
going for it,
but it is super expensive.
It's remote.
It's rugged.
The only way in
is by airplane.
Where's that money
gonna come from to even go?
Dave: Now we need to take it
to the next level.
Finish this season strong,
and hit 200 ounces.
We still got ground left.
We've got a lot to move.
We've got a window
in the weather right now.
It's clear, sunny.
This may be
our only opportunity.
-You're right.
-Let's give it a try, you guys.
Dave: Alright,
let's get to work.
Let's go.
Narrator: In 10 weeks,
team turin have mined out
four cuts
across 1,400 acres of birdseye.
But their fifth cut,
the blue room,
is producing
the team's best gold yet.
Before the weather
shut them down,
over $15,000 of gold
was pulled from the ground
in just two days.
Now, to get
the 40 ounces they need
to make dave's
200-ounce target...
Dave: It's really encased
in the ice,
and that ice is thick.
Narrator: ...Team turin must
take the fight to mother nature.
Well, we've had to break ice
out in the yukon before.
It's just a pain in the butt.
It takes a lot of time.
Come on, baby!
♪
nathan: We're gonna end up
breaking the cage out.
It's probably gonna break
the cage to [bleep] pieces.
Got to get
a suction hose out,
we got to get
some torches on it,
and start melting some ice
out of it.
It's gonna be
a rough [bleep] day.
Hose is free. Now we just
got to heat up the frozen areas.
♪
see this right here?
Can you see the hump in it?
That's a chunk of ice
right here.
What we're gonna do
is break them loose,
lift it up with the excavator,
and try to get it
completely drained out.
Narrator: Seven lengths of hose
totaling 245 feet
pump water
from the pond to the plant.
But each section
is frozen solid.
Before the team can run water,
the hose must be broken apart,
thawed, and cleared of ice
and debris.
[ clanging ]
you want some more?
Yeah!
She's frozen solid.
We're getting there, though.
Gonna hook that one up, see if
it'll pump water through it.
Narrator: With the ice
busted out of the pipes,
dave uses water pressure...
Dave:
Water's coming on!
[ motor starts ]
run!
Narrator:
...And brute force
to blast out
the remaining chunks.
-That's how much slush we have.
-There you go.
-Come on, casey, you can do it!
-It's out, yeah?
Nathan: Whoo!
Come on casey, get it!
Show mother nature who's boss!
We've got water!
-Attaboy, dave!
-We got water.
-Whoo!
-We got water.
-We can sluice.
-Yeah, buddy!
Alright, turning it on.
Yeah, baby! Whoo!
I love the sound of that.
Alright, chris, we got water.
It's going on.
Everything's turning,
everything's burning.
Rocks in a box, buddy.
We're up and running.
Feels good.
It's been silent around here
for the last 3 1/2 days.
Gonna be good to hear
some clankety-clank going on
in that trommel.
We got all the water going.
It took us about four
or five hours,
but we're back in the game.
♪
♪
♪
narrator: For the first time
in four days,
team turin run pay dirt
through the plant...
Looks good to me.
...And see gold.
Nice big old piece in there.
Tons of gold!
-Yeah!
-[ laughing ]
alright, man!
♪
♪
oh, I'm nervous.
We're on the best gold
we've seen all year.
That blue room cut
is really producing.
But we've got bad weather
coming in.
We've got these last few days
of good weather
to get to 200 ounces
before the next cold snap comes.
So I got to do
something drastic.
We're gonna have to run
into the night.
It's hard to say what
the ground's gonna give me,
but if we start to pull, say,
10 to 12 ounces per shift,
we're gonna hit our 200 ounces.
It's fourth quarter,
and we're behind.
So this is it.
When that cold snap hits,
it's over.
Narrator: Coming up...
Dave: Everything's riding
on this.
Narrator: ...Team turin
push into the night.
Stress level's a lot,
lot higher.
[bleep] loaders.
Narrator:
And as temperatures plunge...
[ thunder rumbles ]
we got negative 1 coming up,
two or three days in a row.
Dave: Weather's no good
for men or machines.
Narrator:
...Gold totals rise.
How's it looking, dave?
Well, that's it.
That's our season total.
♪
-in montana...
-Let's get some dirt!
Let's get that blue room cut
in the trommel!
Let's let her
eat it up!
Narrator: After a cold snap
shut down the operation,
a break in the weather means
dave and his crew can push hard
on the last cut
of the season...
Let's put rocks in a box,
buddy.
Narrator:
...The gold-rich blue room...
Dave: Yeah, this is the cut
that's gonna put us over 200.
We get over 200 ounces,
everybody's gonna walk away
from here with some gold.
Narrator: But with 40 ounces
still to find
and a season-ending storm
forecast,
dave must roll the dice.
Dave: I have to do the work
of two guys right now,
because jason and casey
are sleeping.
So we're gonna try
to run a double shift
and see what happens.
We're gonna push hard.
We're gonna go night shift.
♪
narrator:
From here on out,
dave will split the crew to run
the wash plant 24 hours a day.
To get ready
for the night shift,
chris and dave
stockpile pay dirt.
Dave's wanting to get the pay
to the pay pile,
make sure casey and jason have
enough dirt to run tonight.
I don't know if this is
gonna work or not.
If it gets into the teens,
they're gonna have
to be careful if they shut down
and that thing
starts to freeze up.
So the main thing is to keep
the day shift running,
and the night shift
with two guys.
They'll only be able to go
as long as we got dirt.
So that's up to me to make sure
they got enough dirt
to last through the night.
That should do it.
Narrator: Tonight,
excavator operator jason
will be loading dirt
into the hopper.
Chris, you guys copy?
Yes, sir.
Mind if I jump up there
when you back down?
I'll do my best to not
jack up your rhythm
or your location down here.
Oh, you'll do fine.
Rock truck driver casey
will be in charge
of running the wash plant.
You make damn sure
that feeder stays full, though.
Seriously.
It takes...
It took about five minutes.
By the time
he puts one in there
and it hits, it's...
You'll whitewash some gold
if you're not
paying attention.
-Okay. Roger that.
-Yeah?
-I got it.
-Thanks, dude.
Narrator:
Fresh water cleans pay dirt
off the rocks in the trommel
and washes it down
the sluice box,
where the gold is captured.
Casey and jason must make sure
there is always enough
pay dirt in this system,
so they don't run clean water
through the sluice.
Sometimes known
as whitewashing, clean water
can flush out the fine gold
trapped in the mats and riffles.
To prevent loosing
precious gold,
casey will be forced
to shut down the plant.
Jason and casey
got the night shift.
That's a tough job,
and I'm nervous about it.
I mean,
everything's riding on this.
I just hope they get along.
It wasn't me!
Narrator:
Casey and jason haven't
always seen eye to eye.
So you think
because you're standing there,
you don't need to top this?
[bleep]
he doesn't need to be a [bleep]
jackass about everything.
Narrator:
But with the success of the
season hanging in the balance,
tonight they must pull together.
Right now,
I've never run the plant.
This is nathan's world,
but we've got to push all night,
and he can't work 24/7,
so we all got to take
each other's responsibilities.
Jason and I have
our ups and downs,
but we've just got to make sure
this plant stays running.
Last time we did this
was last season,
but we had five guys working.
This time, it's on us.
Stress level's a lot,
lot higher.
♪
well, recommendation
number one --
run the operation
in the daylight
prior to attempting it
in the dark.
Probably make my life
a lot easier.
There's a few trees that,
it's like, "oh, [bleep]!
I forgot you were there."
♪
everything's spinning
like it should.
Want to make sure
that box is full of gold.
Starting to get a rhythm.
I got the location pattern
starting to, you know,
get set in my muscle memory.
So, should be all good
from here on out.
Jason: Man, it is one dark,
dark night tonight, casey.
It sure is,
but got to keep turning,
get that gold in the box.
Every little ounce counts
at this point.
[ yawns ]
[bleep]
-hey, casey. You copy?
-Yeah, go ahead, jason.
We need fuel.
Well, that's a problem.
Narrator: Stopping to refuel
leaves the plant unfed
and risks whitewashing gold
out of the sluice.
Casey: I don't want
to shut down.
In this cold, I don't even know
if we can fire it back up.
It's starting to snow.
I've seen a few flakes
coming down.
But here we are,
running out of fuel.
Narrator: If casey shuts down
the wash plant
in these freezing temperatures,
he won't be able to restart.
They'll lose at least
six hours of vital sluicing
and put reaching
their 200-ounce goal at risk.
If I have to make the decision,
I have to make the decision,
but I don't want to spit gold
out of the box.
Then this whole day
would have been for nothing.
[bleep] loaders.
How much fuel do you have,
though?
Are you just completely on "e,"
or is your light on?
I just know we're gonna need
to figure something out here
soon, buddy.
I truly am at a point
right now
as an operator
of a piece of equipment,
that I don't know
how long it takes to fuel it.
I don't have a clue.
I don't know how long it's gonna
go through the hopper.
All I know is I'm gonna stuff
as much in there as I can,
and then I'm gonna go
try and fuel.
Narrator:
Jason has just five minutes
to refuel before the pay
in the hopper runs out,
forcing casey to shut down
the plant for the night.
Last bucket, casey, then
I'm hauling ass to the fuel.
If I make it.
I got to see
if I can get it fueled
before the plant runs dry.
I should have looked
when I jumped into the loader.
Never crossed my mind.
I had the thought of the night
ahead of me on my mind.
I don't have a lot of pay dirt
left coming through.
It's starting to thin out.
You got to hurry up
on the fueling.
Alright, jason, I don't think
we're gonna make it.
Here I come, jase.
10-4, we're about
to run out of pay.
It's gonna be a close one.
I don't want to shut down,
but I don't want to spit gold
out of the box.
Narrator: Halfway through
team turin's night shift,
jason has to stop feeding
the hopper to refuel the loader.
Jason: I got to see
if I can get it fueled
before the plant runs dry.
Narrator: If the plant runs
without pay,
it could wash the gold
out of the sluice
or force them to shut down.
Here I come, jase.
10-4, we're about
to run out of pay.
It's gonna be a close one.
[ dirt clattering ]
shh!
[ vehicle approaching ]
jason: I got it.
I'm coming.
Alright, man!
Here I come, baby.
I'm bringing the pay.
♪
whoo, yeah! Whoo!
♪
hey, who owns night shift?
-We do!
-We own night shift.
Casey:
We got enough fuel
and enough pay to run through
the rest of the night.
We're looking really good.
Good job, man.
So, good news.
We got the feed into the plant.
We had no problem.
We own the night.
♪
we made it.
I don't know how much we added.
I just know we added
more than we started with.
Mm-hmm. That'll work.
Well, look who it is!
Dave:
Trommel's standing.
-It's not in the pond.
-That's about it.
Dave: So you guys had
a good night, though?
Good run?
-Yeah, yeah.
-Guys, good job, night shift.
-Yeah.
Dave: Why don't we
get this all cleaned up,
and then you guys better
go get some sleep.
Jason: Case and I did it.
We made it through it.
And we worked through all
the stresses that came our way.
And I don't think he called
me [bleep] or anything,
so it was a great night.
[ laughs ]
-let's do it, guys.
-Alright.
Casey: There's gold in the box,
nothing's broke, so I'm happy.
Worked together pretty good
last night.
We've have our differences
at times, but we got through it.
Good job, man.
Yeah, good job, brother.
Narrator:
While jason and casey catch up
on some hard-earned rest...
Nathan: Okay.
[ motor sputtering ]
trommel coming on!
Narrator:
...The day shift push on.
♪
weather's moving in on us.
I don't know if we're
gonna reach our target.
We're full steam ahead,
trying to get as much pay dirt
as we can out of this
blue room cut.
That means more gold --
more gold back to our families.
Narrator:
But reports filter through
about the incoming
weather front.
Right when I thought
I was gonna make the 200 ounces,
the weather forecast is calling
for a lot of snow tonight.
And it sounds like it's gonna be
a pretty extreme storm.
♪
narrator: Despite
the freezing conditions,
the team have run the wash plant
for almost 36 hours straight.
-Alright, shut her down, nate.
-800 tons today. Great day.
Good run. Good gold.
Good blue room.
[ motor shuts down ]
whoo!
Narrator: With an arctic
superstorm hours away,
dave shuts down...
-That's it. Let's pack it up.
...To winterize the equipment
and protect it
from the elements.
Gonna break off
the connections.
Hey, you know what? It took us,
what, five hours the other day
to get fired up and running?
So we don't want that again.
Nobody does.
Dave: In the yukon,
we'd have situations like this.
This is called
preventive maintenance.
Yeah, we're just trying to throw
some insulation on here.
This is our diaphragm
that pulls, sucks it up.
So we got to try
to keep it warm.
Hopefully it's not too cold
in the morning.
17.
Yikes.
[ laughs ]
skies are dark.
Snow's coming.
[ exhales sharply ]
cold, cold weather.
♪
[ thunder rumbles ]
narrator:
Overnight, the storm rages
and temperatures plummet.
Look, guys, we're close.
But it's cold, cold, cold today.
I'm not done. We got a pile
of pay sitting there.
Narrator: Despite
the punishing conditions,
dave needs one last push
from his team.
Dave: I need 40 ounces.
With what you got
in the gold room,
two days,
long days of running,
and that pay pile that's sitting
there, we can get to 200.
Let's give it a shot.
-When?
Right now. We're losing
daylight, man. I say we go.
If you guys can get running,
I think we can make it.
Let's go. I'm all in.
-Alright.
-Worth a try.
-Let's go do this, boys.
-You guys all in for 200?
-Can we do it?
-Oh, yeah!
200 ounces.
One, two, three.
Together: 200!
Dave: At minus 8
with a wind chill, that's cold.
Frostbite's real.
Hypothermia's real.
So we got to really be careful,
watch out for each other.
But, last year,
we did not hit our goal.
This year, by god,
we're gonna hit it.
Nathan: Everything's
a little frozen,
but we're gonna get fired up
and get running here.
Narrator: First, nathan must
thaw out the trommel...
Let's do it, boys.
...While the crew
reconnect the pump.
I'm ready when you are
with the water, nate.
Alright, dave, gonna let the
belt warm up for just a second,
and we'll get the trommel
rolling first before we do that.
10-4.
Trommel coming on!
Alright, trommel coming on.
She ain't gonna go.
Trommel is not even trying
to freaking spin over at all.
At all.
♪
what do you need?
We could use the excavator
to force it, to break the ice.
Alright.
I'll bring the excavator up,
try to get it rolling for you.
It should go.
Get out of here.
Oh, geez louise. We broke loose.
We got rain in
before the snow came in,
so it really iced
everything up real good.
Dave: There we go.
♪
weather's no good
for men or machines.
Hopper on.
Feed conveyor on.
Let's roll the trommel.
Over.
Alright, dave, on three.
One, two, three, go!
♪
come on, baby.
There it goes, yeah!
[ thunking, chain clattering ]
oh, [bleep]
oh, [bleep] nathan!
Nathan, nathan!
Stop, stop, stop!
It's all stopped.
Electricity's down.
Son of a [bleep]
narrator:
Coming up...
I say we at least give it
one more shot.
If we can find something
just to work temporarily,
that's all we need.
Narrator:
One final frozen fix...
It's damn dead.
...Stands between team turin...
And the gold.
Been a hell of a season.
Here's the deal.
That's our season total.
♪
♪
[ tools clattering ]
-what's going on?
Why aren't we running?
-Busted chain.
Narrator: Deep into
montana's brutal winter,
and short of their season goal,
team turin need
the payday of a lifetime.
You got to be [bleep] me.
Narrator: With only hours
of the season remaining,
a pin has snapped
on the trommel chain,
threatening
dave's 200-ounce target.
Forced it over.
It looks like the pin
sheered.
[bleep]
that ain't good, dave.
If we can get that pin
in there,
we get that chain on
and that trommel rolls,
I say we at least give it
one more shot.
Trying to look to see
if I have anything.
We got a bunch of left-over
bolts and stuff like that.
But that pin there,
it's damn big,
and all these are way too small
and not long enough.
I've been around machinery now
about 15 years.
If we can find something
just to work temporarily,
till we run that dirt,
that's all we need.
That's too long.
That's too small.
I got something here,
though.
[ banging ]
yeah, that's got to be about
the right length, dude.
We got something!
Dave,
I think I found something.
See if this will work.
That bar
in the back of the haul truck,
it's the same width
as that chain.
No way.
Yeah.
I think it's gonna fit.
Come on, baby.
Let me heat it up.
Boom! Look at that!
Ice coming out of the end of it.
[bleep]
aha! There we go.
Look at that!
Hey!
Hey, it fits!
Yeah, we're in.
Narrator: With the bolt
welded in place...
Got it!
...Success rests
on the trommel turning over.
Say a little prayer, boys.
Nathan: Alright, boys,
got feed conveyor coming on.
[ machine whirring ]
turning the hopper on.
Trommel coming on.
Dave:
Come on, baby.
[ clanking ]
both: Yeah!
♪
chris, we got the trommel.
Give me some water.
Getting water.
Whoo!
Narrator:
With the plant rolling,
team turin
must make up for lost time.
Alright, we're ready to roll.
Chris, jump in your loader.
Jason, I need you
in the excavator.
Casey, grab your truck.
We're ready to roll, boys.
We're not stopping
till we hit 200.
We got the trommel going.
We got the water to the plant
I've got to get to the loader.
I can't talk to you right now.
So, we fixed the chain
on the trommel,
and there's a lot of good gold
right here in the ground.
The best we've seen all season.
Can't stop now.
♪
nathan: I'll crank this
son of a [bleep].
♪
we'll keep on running
through the night,
until all that pay is ran out.
Well, it's getting dark,
you know,
so we'll get some of
the lights turned on.
Okay, the pay pile's
going down quite a bit.
We're gonna run
into the night some.
The guys are busting ass,
and that's the only way
we're gonna get to 200 ounces.
Jesse's in the gold room.
We've been piling up
the concentrate.
I hope the ground stays
as good as it's been.
We got to get it done.
One more push, and then they can
go home to their families.
Okay, jason,
last load of the season.
You ready for this?
-Right here, buddy.
Fill you up,
send you on,
and then it's all
in chris' hands.
Narrator: As jason loads casey
with the last dirt
from the blue room, team turin
are on the home stretch.
It's been a long road.
[ horn honking ]
working these conditions,
most people would quit.
Mother nature, right now, she's
packing storm after storm on us,
but what the hell are we
gonna do? We gonna go home?
Not us.
We're gonna stick through it.
We're gonna fight.
That's the name of the game.
It's time to put gold
across the table.
What's up, chris?
Chris:
Hey, we're running out of pay.
We've about done it, dave.
This is about
the last load, right here.
We did it, buddy.
Okay, chris, call last bucket.
Here you go, fellas.
Here it is.
We'll take her slow and sweet
right here.
Good job, you guys.
Good job, you guys.
Think that's about it, buddy.
Give me a big hug.
Oh, man!
Word's can't describe how proud
I am, of them and myself.
Hey!
-Did we do it?
I left a lot behind
to come do this stuff.
But, you know,
lots of good heart here.
Heart takes you
a long ways in life,
and all these boys got it.
Proud of you, man.
I love you, too.
I wouldn't be here if --
we did it.
Oh, we did it.
Shut her down!
Alright, boys, the trommel
is being turned off.
Casey!
[ all cheering ]
-good job!
-Come on, buddy!
-Hey!
-Good job, casey!
What do you think, boys?
Let's clean her up.
Last cleanup of the season!
-Whoo!
Narrator: Despite
the extreme conditions,
dave and his crew
have beaten the odds
and run 1,800 tons of dirt
through the plant in 15 hours.
Nathan: I ain't counting
my chickens before they hatch.
Well, we got to wait and see,
get it on the table.
I got to hand it to them.
There's no quit.
No quit in these guys.
Leave this one here,
for a water wash-down.
We had pay that we needed
to get through this plant,
and we found a way
to do it.
-Oh, yeah!
-Whoo!
I asked the question,
could I put a team
like that together,
that were good men,
good hearts, good family guys,
and make miners out of them?
And guess what.
I did.
[ inhales deeply ]
[voice breaking]
and I would put this team
with any team I've ever been on.
They're much better
because they got the heart.
And that's my family.
-Well done.
-Well done, man.
-Good job, people.
-Good, fine job.
We formed bonds that probably
will never, ever be broken,
and we'll build a mine anywhere
in the world with these guys.
And the hard work
and dedication from our leader,
dave, got us through.
We got the last bit of the pay.
-Look at that, guys.
-That's good gold right there.
-Oh, yeah.
And now it's just up for jesse
to run it on the table
and find out what we got.
Narrator:
As chris transports the last
concentrate of the season,
it's a waiting game to see
if they've hit their target.
Jesse:
It's the finale now.
The gold room's
the most important piece.
This stuff is done.
We can start packing this up.
Now it's up to me
to clean the gold
and hopefully reach that number.
♪
the first shovel of the last
cleanup, right here, jesse.
I'm excited, dave.
Narrator:
Dave and jesse must process
four long days of concentrate
to reveal the final gold count.
Seeing some gold already.
Here it comes.
Here it comes.
Anything under 200
is a failure.
Well, we'll never know
until we weigh it up.
We hit that goal,
and I walk through the door
and can actually pay
some bills...
Then the time away
is gonna be worth it.
Where's dave and jesse?
'cause the anxiety
and waiting...
[ tapping ]
come on, big numbers.
How's it looking, dave?
♪
that's it.
That's our season total.
Hey, guys!
Narrator: After running
a successful night shift,
casey is moving up the ranks
in team turin.
Thanks, casey.
One last thing, buddy.
You've been promoted.
Yeah!
Whoo!
Shut her down! Whoo! Whoo!
[ laughter ]
[ laughs ] what? Shut her --
hey, I got to go blue room.
[ laughing ]
[ laughs ]
-welcome to montana, fellas.
-10 weeks ago...
Let's go!
Narrator: ...Dave turin
made his crew partners...
I'd like to give
all you guys 5%.
Together: Team turin!
Narrator: ...And a promise
they would all make good money
in the lost mines of montana.
We're all just sitting here
looking at a pile of rocks.
But they struggled to find
the gold-rich ground...
Your promised me
$10 to $15 a yard.
I packed up all my [bleep]
to come out here for this, dude.
-I think it's time to go home.
-...Battled busted equipment...
Dave: Nathan!
Nathan, nathan! Stop, stop!
Narrator: ...And reached
breaking point.
You're on him 24/7.
And everything's against us.
Narrator: Forced to correct
their 400-ounce target...
I really think
200 is reachable.
Narrator: ...They pushed on
into montana's brutal winter...
We're not stopping
till we hit 200.
-Yeah, casey! Get it!
-Yeah!
Chris, call last bucket.
Narrator:
...For one last chance
to take gold home
to their families.
-Got the last load right here.
-Really proud of you guys.
-Good job.
-Yeah! Whoo!
That's it.
That's our season total.
Narrator: Now it's the moment
of truth for team turin.
We've been
through hell and back.
I mean, let's face it.
It was breakdowns,
cold weather.
This place was chewing us up
and spitting us out.
You leave blood,
sweat, and tears
in everything you can out here
on the claim.
The last thing you want to do
is go home empty-handed.
Nathan: I left a lot.
I left a good-paying job
and everything else.
Left a wife and son behind.
But I want to make history.
I don't want to follow history.
♪
been a hell of a season,
and I'm proud of all you guys.
And before I talk
about the gold,
I just want to tell you,
for me,
the whole success of this season
is what we've accomplished.
We have something special.
You're all family to me.
We went through a lot.
Remember what we left with?
All in.
-All in.
-That's right.
-And all in, we were.
Regardless of how much
gold's in that bag,
I still feel like
we were a success.
'cause here's the deal.
We didn't hit 200 ounces.
♪
we hit 225.1!
-Yeah! Yeah!
-Holy crap!
-225.1! Yeah, baby!
[ laughter ]
we blew over 200!
Narrator:
In the last four days,
team turin mined
over 66 ounces of gold...
Dude, that's awesome.
Narrator: ...Ending the season
on a gold total
worth over $350,000.
For that, here's your 5%
of the gold, you guys.
-Alright!
-Merry christmas.
-We blew up 225.1!
-Not too shabby.
Hell of a lot better
than last season, dave.
[ laughs ]
casey: I'm proud of everything
we've done out here.
We stuck with it.
We charged on,
and look, we've got gold
in our pockets, and we're happy.
Not too bad for some
tramp miners, huh?
You know, last season,
I found some good friends.
This season,
I found family.
Jesse: Dave offered us to leave
because the gold wasn't good,
and we all hung in there,
and it paid off.
We've got the gold
to prove it.
One man will appreciate it,
and that man's my dad.
While putting all that
extra burden on your family
and all that time away,
when you walk through the door
with something to show for that,
you feel like...
You feel like you're
contributing to your family.
-I love you, big sugar.
-Love you, too.
-Thank you, buddy.
-Oh, you're welcome.
For us to pull 225 ounces
is amazing.
Last year, we didn't
quite reach our goal.
This year, we hit our goal
and went over it.
We proved that you can
find gold
in these lost
and abandoned mines.
But the gold I got
that I'll put in the bank,
pay the bills, doesn't mean
nearly as much as the gold
I got in this team.
It's a sense of accomplishment,
that you can take
a group of guys
that have heart
and respect each other,
and make a first-class
mining team out of them.
We became a family.
-A toast!
-This is awesome, dave.
-Oh, I got to watch myself.
Gonna turn into a big crybaby.
-[ laughing ]
-good job, buddy.
-Yeah.
-It's time to go home!
-I'm going home.
Dave: These guys are
professional miners now,
and I'll take them anywhere.
So we're gonna take it
to the next level.
You guys want to do it again?
-Oh, yeah.
-Oh, yeah.
I think we've got some
great things ahead of us.
I really do.
Next year, this team's
ready for big things.
I don't know
if it's underground
or if it's at
the end of the earth.
Who knows?
The next one could be
that lucky lotto ticket
worth millions of dollars.
But we're gonna be back,
this team,
and we're gonna do it.
♪