Gold Rush: Freddy Dodge's Mine Rescue (2021): Season 3, Episode 5 - 30,000 Miles to Gold - full transcript
-[wind howling]
-[epic music playing]
[Freddy] Here'll be
the most dangerous push,
down by this water's edge.
[narrator] Early spring
in Northern Colorado.
You wanna bring me, uh...
another load?
[narrator]
The new mining season
is just days away.
Gold recovery expert,
Freddy Dodge...
Where do you want it?
[narrator]
...and master fabricator,
Juan Ibarra
[narrator]
...and master fabricator,
Juan Ibarra
complete a new 55,000 gallon
bird and fish habitat build
by reclaiming an old mine site
close to Freddy's property.
Thank you, senor.
[Freddy] Perfect,
my friend. Perfect.
[Freddy laughs]
You're doing pretty good
for your first day.
[laughs]
-[music continues playing]
-[engine roaring]
[Juan] That looks
really good, Freddy.
[Freddy] Yeah.
-[Juan] You did
some beautiful work out here.
-[Freddy] Thank you.
-[Juan] You did
some beautiful work out here.
-[Freddy] Thank you.
[Juan] You know,
compared to what it
looked like in the beginning.
[Freddy]
I got a lot going on here.
We're moving some material.
You can see that pile.
Well, that wasn't there
yesterday like that.
And I've got
all that seated down there.
See all the
sandstone boulders
I brought in?
[Juan] So, that way
the fish can kind of...
-go underneath
and have a place to hide?
-Got places to hide.
-[Juan] Yep.
-[Freddy] Yeah.
I had people drop off
their used Christmas trees
and stuff.
-[Juan] Oh, okay, okay, yeah.
-A little place
for the fish to...
-[Juan] Oh, okay, okay, yeah.
-A little place
for the fish to...
hide out.
[Juan] Well,
you must have a ton of fish
'cause I saw a couple...
what are they...
herrings, out here?
Herrings.
But it looks really nice,
don't it, Juan?
[Juan] Yeah,
came out really nice.
-[Freddy] I had to get this
finished before we go.
-Yeah.
No, I get it.
-[Freddy] But let's head up
to the shop, huh?
-[Juan] All right. Let's go.
-Thank you.
-[Juan] We'll try to catch up
with some of the people
from last year, huh?
Let's do it.
[music playing]
[narrator] Every rescue,
Freddy and Juan
run a final test
to see how much
gold recovery has improved.
[Freddy] $700,
-more gold right here...
-Good job!
-more gold right here...
-Good job!
than you get in the first test
in four hours.
[narrator] But the true test
is how the miners carry on
without them.
That's massive.
What a difference
this is gonna make.
[narrator] On this episode,
Freddy and Juan
check back in...
I feel like I'm a Freddy Dodge
and Juan Ibarra graduate.
[Freddy chuckles]
-Well, he's really
screwed up now.
-[Juan chuckles] Yeah.
[narrator]
to find out if the fixes...
[thuds]
There's so many variables.
-We may look like yahoos
on this one.
-[Juan] Yeah.
[narrator]
...delivered the miners
big gold.
[Freddy] Yup, I see
that nugget there. Yeah
[Freddy] Yup, I see
that nugget there. Yeah
[Juan] That's a nice
little guy. Yeah.
But that's not the big one
you promised us.
[Juan chuckles]
[narrator] Or what can be
done better in the future.
Wait till you get deep,
-if that's on the surface.
-[Juan] Yeah.
[country music playing]
You know, probably
the most colorful character
-that we had this year,
Freddy, was Steve.
-[Freddy] Mmm-hmm.
-I'll agree with that.
- [Juan] Yeah.
-I'll agree with that.
- [Juan] Yeah.
-He was a cool guy
but he was all over the place.
-[Freddy] He was cool.
Uh-huh. Yep.
[serene instrumental
music playing]
1996 was the last time
I lived in what most people
consider normal accommodation.
[thunder rumbling]
[narrator] Last summer,
Freddy and Juan heeded a call
from Steve Lathem.
A miner living off grid
on his mine site
in a
converted shipping container.
You wanna really enjoy
a shower? Go without one
for a little while. [laughs]
You wanna really enjoy
a shower? Go without one
for a little while. [laughs]
[narrator] It's late
in the mining season.
But with help
from friend James,
Steve sets a lofty gold goal.
[Steve] I found
a little piece of land.
And in order
to buy that piece of land,
I'm gonna need...
20, 30 ounces.
[Freddy]
That's a rough one, living
in a shipping container.
I'd rather live in a camper.
-We've lived in campers,
you know, and it's tough.
-[Freddy] Mmm-hmm.
- Mmm-hmm. Mmm-hmm.
-[Juan] Even that...
You got all...
you got a kitchen,
-you got a bathroom,
and it's still tough.
-[Freddy] Gets cold.
-you got a bathroom,
and it's still tough.
-[Freddy] Gets cold.
-Yep. I didn't know he had
a kitchen or a bathroom.
-[Juan] But uh...
[narrator] Freddy and Juan
arrive to find the miner
blinded by nugget fever.
[Freddy] 'Cause I'm looking
at two and a half inch holes
in your trommel over there.
[Steve] Yeah, and I am glad
that they're that big.
'Cause there's a rumor
to be a 36 ounce nugget found
up here, back in the day.
What is the chances
that that is the only one?
I think slim.
[narrator]
First order of business?
[engine starts]
[dramatic music playing]
[narrator] Figure out how to
improve his gold recovery.
[narrator] Figure out how to
improve his gold recovery.
Where is gold in that bucket?
[Freddy] This guy's
definitely got gold fever.
[Juan] Look at that
slurry coming out, Freddy.
[Freddy] Yeah, look how dirty
those rocks are.
[Juan] I...
I bet you we're losing
15, 20% of the finds
out of the end of that.
[narrator]
Freddy's solution?
Add an extra sluice run
specifically for fine
gold recovery.
Cut a series of half-inch
slits in the trommel
to allow the fine gold
to drop into the new sluice.
to allow the fine gold
to drop into the new sluice.
Add three steel dams inside
to slow the material,
allowing more time to wash
the gold off the rocks.
He was completely obsessed
with nuggets, though, Freddy.
He was. He was sure there
was like a 3000 lb. nugget
laying in there somewhere.
Just waiting to be...
-And there could be
some big nuggets in there.
-Yeah.
-And I'm sure there
probably is.
-There is still some around.
-Absolutely.
-[Freddy] Yep.
But you can't sacrifice
all the small gold
-just for that one nugget
that may or may not come.
-That's exactly right.
-just for that one nugget
that may or may not come.
-That's exactly right.
That's what he was doing.
Honestly, I'm happy that he,
uh... he finally opened up
a little bit
and let us do
what we wanted to do.
-Yeah.
-We were able to put
that... that secondary
sluice on that almat system,
so we actually had a...
a fine sluice system.
-[Steve] Good?
-[Freddy] All right. Down.
And then we
put all the slits in the drum.
And, and... you know,
couple other things...
-We did the new pump, right?
-[Freddy] Mmm-hmm.
-Mmm-hmm.
-[Juan] A new...
-New water system,
new spray bar.
- [Freddy] Yep.
-Yep.
We did a lot things there.
- [Juan] Absolutely.
-[intense music playing]
-[motor whirring]
-[intense music playing]
-[motor whirring]
[narrator] Freddy and Juan
run a final test.
[intense music continues]
[Juan] You can see it, Freddy.
Look at the difference.
[Freddy] No water
coming out the end.
That's pretty awesome.
I'm happy with that.
[motor stops]
[narrator] To put Steve's goal
of 30 ounces within reach,
the final test
needs to deliver
at least a 40% improvement
on the first test,
at least a 40% improvement
on the first test,
which produced
just .13 ounces.
Well, guys...
-Moment of truth, huh?
-4-hour run.
-[Juan] Point-two-two.
-[James] Wow!
I cannot believe that, guys.
[Steve] And look at all
the fine gold in there too.
[narrator]
A massive increase of 70%.
Oh, my goodness sakes.
What a difference
this is gonna make.
-I'm happy that, uh,
we were able to help him.
-[Freddy] Yep.
But it was
a good recovery too.
-Good increase.
-It was.
Let's hope
he got the home he wanted.
Let's hope
he got the home he wanted.
[Juan] Should we call him
to see how he's doing?
-Give him a call Juan-o.
-[Juan] Yeah.
I'm happy
to see you're smiling.
-It's nice
to see you guys, too.
- [Juan chuckles]
So how'd the
rest of your season go, guys?
Did you ever
get into those big nuggets?
The new trommel
with the fixes you guys did,
yeah, it was just excellent.
We got a bit of gold, but...
As far as seeing how well that
new machine really shines,
it's gonna have to wait
until this spring.
-Okay.
-There's trees down
on the waterlines
so we're gonna
have to deal with that,
and we're gonna
need to dig out a bigger pond
and we're gonna
need to dig out a bigger pond
-to draw water on them.
- [Freddy] Yep.
[Steve] That'll be
one of the first steps.
Yeah, I would say stay tuned.
[chuckles]
We're happy to hear
that you guys
are still at it, though.
-So that...
that's a good thing.
-[Steve] Oh, absolutely.
We ended up acquiring
900 acres or something.
-[Freddy] Really?
-500... yeah, like...
Some of the best ground
that's arguably... that's left
in the wild for us.
-That stretch where...
- [Freddy] Nice.
-...where history took place
150 years ago.
- [Freddy] Nice.
[Juan] So are you still living
in a shipping container?
All... All I know is
I'm the resistant
off-grid prospector.
All... All I know is
I'm the resistant
off-grid prospector.
[Juan laughs]
But yeah, no...
It's already been great
just exploring
and finding nuggets
sitting on the ground.
[Steve] I don't know
if you guys can see that.
-Yep. I see that nugget. Yep.
-[Juan] Oh! That's a nice
little guy, yeah.
But that's not the big one
you promised us.
Oh, well...
[Juan laughs]
[Steve] Didn't even
have to look for that one.
It was sitting...
Just sitting there on bedrock.
-Didn't have to work for it.
Just say...
- [Freddy] Yeah.
"Oh, isn't that nice?"
Your plant's set up
where you can catch
that fine gold
as well as
your nuggets now, so,
as well as
your nuggets now, so,
-you know, the sky's the limit
hopefully for you guys.
-[Juan] Yeah.
[Steve] Spring...
spring brings fresh hopes.
We could be more excited
about the future.
Um... eager anticipation
to see that trommel
really shine.
-[Freddy] Yep. Let us know.
-Us too.
-It's been a pleasure.
-[Steve] Awesome seeing ya.
-[Freddy] Take care, guys.
-[Juan] Likewise.
Later, Steve.
-Later, James.
-All right.
And when
you find that big nugget,
we're gonna
split it four ways, so...
keep that in mind, too.
[Steve] Depends on how big.
If there's some pieces
that could
break off of it easy,
then yeah,
we'll about you.
Well, if there are pieces
that break off,
we get the bigger piece
-that's left over, okay?
-That's right.
[Steve] Oh! Yeah, yeah!
Of course he'd say that.
-Take care, guys.
-Likewise. Later, Steve.
Later, James.
[Steve] All right.
All the best.
-Bye.
-[James] Take care.
The dream is still alive.
He could still catch it
if it's there.
-Yep. But he's got the ability
at the same time...
-Yeah.
to recover his fine gold
-a lot better
than he was before.
-[Juan] Yeah.
And hopefully
he makes enough money
-where he can move out
of that shipping container.
-[Juan] Yeah. Yeah.
[upbeat instrumental
rock music playing]
[engine roaring]
[engine roaring]
[propeller whirring]
Is that it right there, Fred?
[narrator] Last year's rescues
took Freddy and Juan
to 15 mines across 5 states,
and two Canadian provinces.
You have to put spurs on
to drive down this road.
Yeah, you were not joking,
Freddy. This road's
pretty rough, buddy.
On top of us going out
and helping people, Freddy,
a lot of people
don't understand that
we genuinely drive the miles.
The amount of miles...
But we do it because we
believe in what we're doing,
we wanna help people.
But we do it because we
believe in what we're doing,
we wanna help people.
-We wanna help these families
-And we're
truly helping people.
Yep. Absolutely.
-Remember in
Busch Creek, there.
-Oh!
What a great bunch of guys,
eh, Juano?
Yeah, a really good
group of guys.
-[propellers whirring]
-[music playing]
-[Dennis] Hey, Freddy!
-[Freddy] How's it going?
-Dennis, I assume.
-Dennis.
-Clay.
-[Juan] Nice to meet ya.
-[Freddy] Clay.
-Freddy.
They've had
a lot of struggles in there.
They have,
but you know, it's great
that they're still at it.
-[Freddy] Mmm-hmm.
-They're still trying.
And they deserve
an opportunity to try
to go out there...
And they deserve
an opportunity to try
to go out there...
One, live their dream
-and be able to
make a little bit of money.
-That's right.
[narrator] Last year,
Busch Creek owner Dennis Boyce
was in need of a Hail Mary.
[Dennis] We've all put our
hearts and soul in it.
And if we don't
get our numbers up this year
then, you know,
this is gonna be it for us.
[tense music playing]
[narrator] With $5 million
already invested
in the operation,
the Busch Creek boys still
struggle to pay themselves
a living wage.
We just really
want it to work for us,
you know, and...
We just really
want it to work for us,
you know, and...
and make something of it.
You know, the labs
are telling us we have
all this fine gold here
and when
we run it through the plant,
mechanically,
we can't replicate that.
And that's what
our main problem is.
[motivational music playing]
[narrator] After a
series of fixes to the plant,
Freddy suspects the pay dirt's
not rich enough
to make the mine viable.
[Juan] You know,
honestly Freddy,
that doesn't
look like anything special.
No. It's not the
greatest ground right here,
No. It's not the
greatest ground right here,
but, you know,
it's our bread and butter.
We have to get it.
Where you guys are at,
you guys can't
afford to run mediocre dirt.
[intense music playing]
-[Freddy] Not a... No.
-[Juan] Not a ton.
[Freddy]
I was hoping to see more.
[narrator] Coming up...
Freddy and Juan check in
on their biggest innovation
of the season.
The underflow sluice...
That was awesome.
It's the perfect flow.
[narrator] And later,
a follow-up
on their
most emotional rescue.
on their
most emotional rescue.
You've kept your promise
to Eva.
Certainly giving it a shot
and I don't plan on stopping
any time soon.
[upbeat instrumental
rock music playing]
Might not be enough gold
where they're digging
right here, Juan.
[narrator] Last season
at the Busch Creek mine,
success depends
on Freddy finding
new gold rich ground.
-Well, I was kind of
looking around here.
-[Clay] Uh-huh.
-So, picture this
tight canyon, right?
-[Clay] Right.
We're thinking
most of your gold came
from that direction, right.
You see that tight canyon
coming down the mountains?
-[Clay] Yeah.
-[Freddy] Right.
So, it's tight, tight,
tight, tight, tight.
So, it's tight, tight,
tight, tight, tight.
And then we've got an outwash
right there.
The possibilities are there.
-[Freddy] Mmm-hmm.
-Especially with that
new ground you kind of started
pinpointing out like,
"Hey, there's
something going on there."
[tense music playing]
[Freddy] If I had one spot
on your mine
that I would mine,
-I would try this.
-[Clay] Okay.
[Dennis] Yep.
This has a huge potential.
You know, could be a...
a game changer.
And there was very
promising-looking gold
in it.
-Pretty decent stuff,
huh? Wow.
-Yeah, it was.
[narrator] But fate turned...
[narrator] But fate turned...
Oh! Damn! Damn!
[narrator] ...as the only
excavator on the remote site
bursts a hydraulic line
and can't be repaired
before the end of the rescue.
-[Juan] Yeah, I'm excited
to talk to the guys.
-[Freddy] Mmm-hmm.
And, uh, see how
that new cut's opened up
and how it's doing.
-Well, let's give
the Busch Creek boys a call.
-Yep.
-[Freddy] There we go.
-[Juan] There we are.
There we are.
[Freddy]
I got a text from you,
I haven't responded to it.
I wanted
to talk to you on here
that you guys went over there
and dug a shallow hole
with a dozer,
in that area
we were looking at.
Yeah, we scraped down
about 4 feet and, um...
grab some...
grabbed samples out of that.
And I tell you, it was just...
Really surprising.
-Tons of color in it.
- [Freddy] Yeah.
Blew me away,
what it looked like. I was...
It was crazy.
-Wait till you get deep
if that's on the surface.
-[Juan] Yeah.
Before we
even got the dozer there,
we walked about 50 yards,
where you were digging around.
we walked about 50 yards,
where you were digging around.
Turned over some rocks
and pulled out some panfuls
and it was the same way.
-No kidding, huh?
-[Dennis] Oh, it's awesome.
-Very cool. Nice, yep.
-[Freddy] Nice! Yep.
[Clay]
It... it looked good, so...
Yeah, you hit it on the money
on that one.
-That makes me feel good.
-Yeah.
-[Juan] Cool.
-Yeah, we're excited about it.
Uh, we...
We're on it, so we'll be able
to walk in there and uh,
you know...
do some excavation
with a big backhoe.
I'm excited about that spot.
-Yeah, absolutely.
-And...
Soon as I seen it, I went...
Soon as I seen it, I went...
[exclaims]
What if they... I...
I was like, "I wonder
if they'll sell me that spot."
-All I want
is that area over there.
-[Juan] Yeah.
So the sluices and stuff
kept running good for ya?
[Clay] Yeah, they did.
They did.
We hit a sandy spot
that hit us again
a little bit.
We had to increase the flows
and what not to keep that
sluice from packing but...
we're... it ran fine.
-[Freddy] Yeah.
-Really impressed.
-That's the rest
of the season.
- [Juan] Well, good.
We can't thank y'all enough
for coming out and helping us,
We can't thank y'all enough
for coming out and helping us,
and it was such a pleasure
meeting you two and...
Um... the knowledge we learned
both on and off camera
is just...
Oh, it's awesome.
-I mean we really...
We really cherish that.
-Yeah.
Well, shoot, guys.
It's been an absolute pleasure
catching up with ya.
Yeah. Keep us posted.
Let us know how it does.
-Thanks a lot.
-[Freddy] Bye, guys.
[Juan] Bye.
See you later.
Good gold underneath them.
I knew it, though,
when we were
sitting in that cabin
-I'm like...
-"There's something there."
It was kind of weird,
though, Freddy.
You were sitting there
with a drink
in just underwear. That...
You were sitting there
with a drink
in just underwear. That...
It was just weird to me.
That's how I do
my best thinking.
[upbeat music playing]
Well, one of the
most innovative things we did
and probably the one
I'm most proud of from
last season is, uh...
that undercurrent sluice
we built for the Browns.
-[Freddy] Derek.
-Welcome.
Hey, I'm Juan.
-Nice to meet you, Juan.
-Freddy.
Hey, Freddy. Nice to meet you.
Hey, Freddy. Nice to meet you.
[Juan] Derek was great.
Great family.
-Wife, kids. Just...
just a good set up.
-[Freddy] Mmm-hmm.
-Yeah.
-You know, and for being
such a young guy
-he's worked really hard.
-He has.
And he deserves
everything that he has,
-because he's worked
his tail off for it.
-That's exactly right.
-He kind of started
with a gold pan.
-Yep.
Right there and, uh,
-has worked his way up
to where he's at now.
-Yeah.
[narrator] Derek Brown
persuaded his entire family
to give up everything
and mine for gold
in the Yukon wilderness.
[Derek] I got my father,
the mechanic,
myself, dirt mover,
myself, dirt mover,
-Go grab his knee.
-[Derek] My mother,
bookkeeper.
My wife,
mother, cook,
clean, laundry.
[narrator]
Despite their efforts,
the results
have failed to pay off.
[Christy] There's a lot
riding on this mine.
Doesn't happen
for us this year...
we need to think
of something else.
There's a lot of people
out there
that sacrifice a lot.
But, look at what gold's done
in the past, right?
Look at the sacrifices.
People left the East Coast
for the California Gold Rush.
Look at the sacrifices.
People left the East Coast
for the California Gold Rush.
I mean, gold has
always been a motivator
to make people do
extreme things,
sometimes crazy things.
But it's made...
a lot of people
a lot of money,
and it's taken
a lot of money away
from a lot of people.
[intense music playing]
-That your plant, huh?
What is that? A derocker, huh?
-[Derek] That...
-is a Pearson derocker.
-[Juan] Wow.
[narrator] Derockers
are built for rocky pay dirt.
But the two-inch gaps
in the articulated steel deck
allow chunky stones
to pass through
into the sluice
and disrupt the flow,
preventing fine gold
from settling.
-[rocks rattling]
-[Freddy] Like,
look at that rock right there.
[Juan] Here, let me grab one.
[Freddy] Look at that.
Yeah.
Right now, Freddy,
the way he's set up,
he has nothing
for fine gold recovery,
does he?
[Freddy] Yeah,
that super small stuff...
he's gonna catch some of it...
-But we wanna make sure
he can catch more of it.
-[Juan] Yeah.
-But we wanna make sure
he can catch more of it.
-[Juan] Yeah.
[Juan] Really, that derocker
needed to be rebuilt.
[Freddy] There's no way...
-[Juan] We couldn't do that.
No.
-Exactly. No.
-Not in a week.
-One, no material for it.
And two, just, you know,
you and I for a week,
it would take
every bit of that if we had
-a shop to do it.
-[Freddy] Mmm-hmm. Yep.
-And, uh... So that...
that was the best--
-Yeah, there were no--
-It was the best...
-Yeah.
Best solution
for the time we had.
-Most bang for the buck.
-Yeah, exactly.
[narrator]
Freddy's ingenious bush fix?
Build a new section
of sluice,
shield the top
with punch plates,
shield the top
with punch plates,
creating a rock-free section
of riffles below,
where the fine gold
can settle.
[Juan] The challenge is,
is that this is something
that we've never really built.
We kind of have an idea
of how it's supposed to work.
But until we actually build it
and put it together,
we really don't know
how it's gonna work.
So, it... it...
it's a little nerve-racking.
-How's it going?
-Good. How are you doing, man?
[narrator]
Derek's father Terry,
a heavy equipment mechanic,
has doubts.
I'll be completely open
and honest. I'm suspicious
that those teardrop holes
may not be wide enough,
which is a big problem.
We mortgaged our home
against the loan for this.
It's a huge financial risk...
It needs to work.
[Freddy] In theory,
this should work.
That doesn't mean it's gonna.
I've never tried
to get rid of big rocks
and screen rocks underwater.
[intense music playing]
I've never seen
anything like that
on a large scale, you know.
I've never seen
anything like that
on a large scale, you know.
-Yeah, no.
I've never seen it, period.
-[Freddy] Mmm-hmm.
So, when, when you
started talking about it,
I could visualize it.
I figured, I'm like,
"Okay, that makes sense."
-"But is it
gonna work, people?"
-[Juan laughs] Yeah.
-There's so many variables.
-We...
We may look like yahoos
on this one.
-Well, should we
give the Browns a call?
-Let's do it.
[narrator] Coming up...
An exclusive look
at Juan's new truck.
[epic music playing]
-You did that
just to be a smart-ass.
-I did!
-You did that
just to be a smart-ass.
-I did!
[country music playing]
-Well, should we
give the Browns a call?
-Let's do it.
How's it going, Derek?
-[Derek] Hey, guys!
-How you doing?
-Hey, good.
-Good to see you again.
Man, you're looking
all relaxed. Where are ya?
We're in Southern Mexico.
Oh, wow.
We're here for about a month,
just enjoying, you know,
like new experiences
for all the kids.
Nice and warm and sunshine
Nice and warm and sunshine
and get to go to the pool
two or three times a day.
So, that's exciting.
You're vacationing.
Are you celebrating? Did you
have a good season or what?
We ended up with
a good season.
We got three times
as much in the two weeks
-after you guys left.
-[Juan] Okay.
-Good on you.
-[Freddy] Yup.
The derocker with
the addition that you made,
that was awesome to see that.
It's the perfect flow.
-[Juan chuckling]
-I mean, under
the under flow sluice
we only continued sluicing
there another two weeks
we only continued sluicing
there another two weeks
-past when you guys left.
-[Juan] Okay.
It froze up.
[Freddy] So you got
froze out early. [chuckles]
-[Juan] Yeah.
-[Derek] Yeah.
Well, we're glad
the rest of your year
was successful there.
That makes us happy, you know.
Especially with something like
that sluice that we built.
I still can't believe it,
like, 'cause I know you had
three different pieces of wood
cut for the spacing.
- Uh, and the first one...
-[Juan chuckles]
We talked about that.
...you picked
was the right one.
We get lucky every
now and then.
-[all laughing]
-Once in a while even
a blind dog finds a bone.
-[all laughing]
-Once in a while even
a blind dog finds a bone.
Between the addition
that you made,
and, um, the three
other locations
we'll be working on
this summer, it's like,
a jampacked summer.
Well, I hope you,
fill a lot of pans with gold.
Yup, yup.
[laughing]
Yes, I hope so too.
Beyond all the equipment
and everything,
just guys'
combined experience.
-You guys want to say hi to
the kids and Christy, quick?
-Yeah, absolutely.
-[Juan] Hello.
-[Freddy] Hi guys.
-[Juan] Hello.
-[Freddy] Hi guys.
[Juan] How you doing?
Good to see ya.
Oh, look at him,
he's getting big.
-Yeah.
-[Juan] Wow.
Very cool.
Whose been learning
some Spanish today?
- Hola.
- Hola.
-[laughing]
-[Juan] Hola.
Too cute.
-We'll see you later guys.
-It was good
seeing the family.
Take care,
enjoy your vacation.
Hope to see you again.
[Derek] You've changed
the future for my kids
and my family.
Thank you.
You're welcome.
- Adios!
- Hasta luego.
[all] Adios!
[all] Adios!
-That's awesome.
-Yeah.
-You know, that puts a smile
on my face Freddy 'cause...
-Yeah.
-...we do all the work we do,
but that just brings it home.
-Mmm-hmm.
We do it for our families
and he's the prime example.
I love that.
Well, Juano, that's a win.
[Juan] Well,
here it is, Freddy.
[Freddy] That's
nice-looking, Juan.
[narrator] Over the winter,
Juan made a significant
equipment upgrade.
A new hi-tech work truck
to allow him to operate better
A new hi-tech work truck
to allow him to operate better
in the most remote gold mines.
[Juan] Yeah, I'm pretty
excited about it.
How many miles the old Pete
have on it, at the end?
[Juan] 750,000.
[Freddy] That's
a lot and a lot of 'em
-hard, hard miles.
- [Juan] Hard miles,
hard miles.
[Freddy] This is one
beautiful truck, Juan.
-Thank you, Freddy.
-Holy moly.
But, we didn't have enough
clearance on the old truck.
This truck--
[Freddy] Remember tearing
the bumpers off and stuff?
[Juan] I've torn several
bumpers off that truck.
[Freddy] I told you, Juan,
-no low rider trucks
when you bought it.
-[both laughing]
-no low rider trucks
when you bought it.
-[both laughing]
-Well, get this--
-[Freddy] Like, it looks cool,
-but Juan, but it's only
one inch off the ground.
-It looks great, that looks...
[Juan] This is built
for off-road,
but it can still
do highway speeds.
[Fred chuckles] You got
a cape on your bulldog, Juan.
[Juan] You know that was
my wife and kids'--
that was their addition.
[Freddy] That's a cuff off
one of your sleeves.
-That's exactly
one of my cuffs.
-[Freddy] That is cool.
[both laugh]
[Freddy] No,
this is nice, Juano.
[Juan] It's not four-wheel
drive, but we got really good
traction tires in the rear
[Juan] It's not four-wheel
drive, but we got really good
traction tires in the rear
and I got a locking
differential.
[Freddy] That's gonna
make a big difference.
-We got reels now?
-I finally got reels, Freddy.
You know, you gave me [bleep]
about it for years,
-I finally got a set of reels.
-[Fred chuckles] Yeah.
With the leads you have, too,
-I mean, you could
power a city with 'em.
-[Juan laughing]
-Like that big around.
I couldn't even drag 'em.
-[Juan laughing]
[Freddy] Is that the crane
off the Pete, Juan?
[Juan] Yeah, I pulled
the crane off the Pete,
put it on this truck.
12.5, 29-foot reach.
I don't want to get in
a crane measuring contest
-with you this year, Juano.
-[both chuckling]
Finally got an air reel.
-Nice.
-You know, before I used
to have to uncoil it,
-now, we got a hose
reel here as well.
-[Freddy] Mmm-hmm.
[Juan] Of course...
-That big vise.
-[Juan] Gotta have a big vise.
[Freddy] A good vise is worth
it's weight in gold.
-Literally.
-[Juan] Yeah.
I brought my trailer.
Heavy duty, 14,000 pounder,
and it's got a tilt-back.
Heavy duty, 14,000 pounder,
and it's got a tilt-back.
It's actually got the
heavy duty coating
on top of the deck,
-so it's rubber.
-[Freddy] Yeah.
And then, our last vehicle
we got this year.
-We didn't have one last year
and we could have used one.
-Yeah.
And I figured this one,
we got the crew cab,
we got four seats there,
we got the dump bed.
So, it's set up.
You know, we'll be
able to work out of it
-in these tight spots.
-Yep.
[Juan] Just to
stick to my roots, Fred,
let me show you.
[Freddy] What happened?
[Freddy] What happened?
-Oh, I knew it. I knew it.
-[Juan laughing]
Yep.
[both laughing]
-[Freddy] You did that
just to be a smart ass.
-[Juan] I did.
[both laughing]
I'm running on the last
$2,000 my family has.
Well, there's a lot of
pressure on us, Freddy.
This is their dream.
[Freddy] This is the type
of mine that scares me.
-You ready, P.J.?
-I was born ready.
No, shut it down!
-Remember Gregg and Trever?
-Yeah, Gregg and Trever, yeah.
Mr. Dodge, hello.
-How's it going, man?
-Good.
-They kinda had a rough
relationship there, Freddy.
-Yeah, they did.
[indistinct shouting]
[narrator]
Mine owner Gregg Morrill
invested everything
to turn his promising
hobby mine into a full-time
commercial operation.
-Just you and your son, right?
-Yes, sir.
-Trever, I assume.
-Yes, sir.
Good to meet you, Trever.
[narrator] But two years in,
Gregg, along with son, Trever,
are one bad season away
from losing it all.
If this mine worked out,
and me and my dad
If this mine worked out,
and me and my dad
made this
successful, together,
it would be awesome.
[Freddy] Well,
let's let to work.
[engine starts]
When we got to the Morrill's,
there was a lot of indications
-that there was a lot
of problems, Fred.
-Yeah, there was.
What do you think
the biggest one was?
Uh, well, the amount of gold
going out those tailings,
that weren't going
through that screen.
Fifteen, sixteen, seventeen...
-Seventeen colors.
-[Juan] That's unacceptable.
And that ribbed
rubber sluice box.
It has no holding capacity.
So, when we first
did the clean-up,
you know, we checked
the bottom foot of it,
it was just laced with gold.
But that's what happens,
when you take
a technology that
works fine in a, let's say,
a hobby mine situation,
and you upscale it,
you're going from
shoveling hundreds of pounds
an hour going across to
now you're doing 100,000
pounds an hour across it.
now you're doing 100,000
pounds an hour across it.
-Right, it just can't
handle it.
-[Juan] Yeah.
[narrator] But Gregg
and Trever's problems
ran much deeper.
Never seen that type
of thing, have you?
Never seen what?
The way you're
doing that right there.
-I like that.
-It's the same way
that I do it.
You keep telling me that
I'm losing gold that way.
-[clears throat]
-Bull.
Okay.
[Gregg] Hold it just a second.
Don't you forget who owns
this mine, who invested
every penny in this mine.
You are a hired hand
at this point.
You are a hired hand
at this point.
[Trever] I should be
learning it from him.
[Gregg] You may want to learn
what Freddy has to teach,
I have to, if this
is going to survive.
Don't overstep
your position, son.
They were like oil and water,
that's for sure.
They really didn't
get along at all, Freddy.
And it's kind of unfortunate,
you know,
they had a great
thing going there.
You know what,
it makes it harder on us,
because we're there
to find better gold for 'em.
-I'm not a therapist.
-No, neither am I.
I really don't want
to be a therapist.
-My dad and I
are great friends.
-[Freddy] Mmm-hmm.
-But when we work
together, we just clash.
-[Freddy] Mmm-hmm.
-But when we work
together, we just clash.
-[Freddy] Mmm-hmm.
-The clash that they had
was a little more extreme.
-Yup.
[narrator] The Morrill's
wash plant, features a 10-foot
chute with spray bars,
and one quarter inch
expanded metal to screen off
the larger rocks,
which Freddy and Juan
turn into an improvised
shaker deck.
We're gonna
mount this vibrator.
We've got the
mounting bracket,
weld it up
underneath here.
[Juan] That little vibrator
we put on there
- actually worked really well.
-[Freddy] Mmm-hmm.
You know, obviously,
it's not a production plant
where we're gonna run
hundreds and hundreds of yards
through there.
where we're gonna run
hundreds and hundreds of yards
through there.
That's right.
But it shook it enough
that it cleaned that material
and got the material
that had the gold,
'cause all this gold
is really small.
It allowed that material
to fall through and
go to the sluice box.
Where before, a large
percentage of it was going...
-Going right up...
-...right into the tailings.
Yeah.
[narrator] With a whole new
24-foot steel
sluice box installed,
another fix is complete.
Well, let's do a four-hour
test and see what happens.
[motor whirring]
[motor whirring]
Gregg, look how clean that is.
[narrator] The final test
comes down to the gold weigh.
-0.65 the first time,
right guys?
-[Gregg] Yup.
[Freddy] Quarter ounce.
Half ounce.
1.05.
-[Gregg] 1.05.
-Good job.
-Are you happy?
-Hell, yeah.
More than happy.
$700 more gold
right here than you did
the first test in four hours.
$700 more gold
right here than you did
the first test in four hours.
Well, I was proud
of what we did.
-Yeah, I--
-Working down there, I mean we
increased their gold recovery.
We at least got 'em where
they weren't fist fighting
-by the end of the...
-Yeah.
-...end of the fix
down there, you know?
-Yeah.
Because there's a lot
of tension.
-[Freddy] From the stress.
-From the stress, man.
You know, when you're freaked
out about, "Hey, we got
X amount of money going out,
we have nothing coming in,"
you know?
-Yeah, the lack of gold
creates high blood pressure.
-Oh yeah, it absolutely does.
-Well, let's give
Gregg a call.
-Let's do it.
How is it going, Gregg?
How is it going, Gregg?
- [Gregg] Doing Great.
-[Freddy] Good.
The changes you guys made
just made all the difference
in the world.
Cool. I talked to a person
you sold some gold to
and he said, "Holy cow."
He goes, "He brought
a lot of gold in."
So, congratulations
on last season, Gregg.
[Gregg] Right now,
everything's just like
a Singer sewing machine.
I expect to do
two and a half to three times
what we did last year.
Good. Happy to hear that.
Trever's not around
anymore, huh?
Not working with you?
No, he's in Denver
with his son.
[both] Okay.
Being a thousand miles
away from home and stuff
was just too stressful,
Being a thousand miles
away from home and stuff
was just too stressful,
too inconvenient,
too much downtime.
-[Juan] Yeah.
-Yeah. Yeah
It didn't seem to him
like he ever had
-any free time either.
-Yeah.
But, have you guys been
able to talk things through
and are you guys
getting along at least?
-Yeah, we are.
-[Juan] Oh, good.
Yeah.
Yeah, that's back to normal
and a good thing.
-Okay. I'm happy to hear that.
-Yeah.
Well, I'm glad things
are working out.
I'm glad you're finding
gold and I'm glad
you're still mining.
Well, we're still mining
thanks to you guys.
Well, we're still mining
thanks to you guys.
'Cause I'd have been
broke by now.
-I'd have been broke
with all this... [mutters]
-[Juan laughing]
I'd have had to pick up
a shovel again.
-Well, you take--
-Yeah. Have a good one.
I'm not surprised that, uh,
it didn't quite work out
with Gregg and Trever,
-but I'm happy they're
still on speaking terms.
-Mmm-hmm.
-They're probably better
friends, not working together.
-Yeah.
Yeah, from what I saw
-that's probably
the best outcome, really.
-Yeah.
-I agree. I agree.
-As long as they're
still talking, that's great.
Then it's great that his
gold production went boom.
-So, I'm happy with that.
-He's had 100% increase
-So, I'm happy with that.
-He's had 100% increase
after we left
for the season, so...
-100%, take that any day
of the week, my friend.
-Absolutely, yeah.
[narrator] Coming up,
Freddy and Juan catch up
with the season's
most emotional rescue.
Clay, what's going on buddy?
Things are all right.
-I feel like a Freddy Dodge
and Juan Ibarra graduate.
-[all laughing]
-Well, he's really
screwed up now.
-[both laughing]
[Freddy] Haven't practiced
Spanish all winter.
-It's time to start again,
my friend.
-[Juan laughing]
[Freddy] Three-eighths.
Tres quatros.
Ocho.
Tres octavos.
Say it with me, tres octavos.
Tres octavos.
There you go, three-eighths.
Dos, siete, uno, ocho.
Uh, my Spanish is good.
-Are you ocho or seis?
- Ocho.
-Are you ocho or seis?
- Ocho.
-[motor revs]
- Seis.
-No.
-Sixteen.
Eight.
-Eight?
-Eight, ocho.
[speaking in Spanish]
[speaking in English]
Freddy's Spanish is getting
better this year for sure.
[Fred laughing]
He's still having trouble with
saying the eights in Spanish.
Octavos
-We're getting there.
We're getting there.
- Uno ocho.
[speaking in Spanish]
[engine revs]
[speaking in English]
Your Spanish is going
to revolutionize Spanish.
-That's what
you're hoping, huh?
-That's the goal, yeah.
That's the goal. [chuckles]
You know Freddy, it's a great
thing when we show up on site,
and the people there, not only
do they want our help,
but they're willing to help us
and real willing to learn.
Willing to take
advice as well.
It opens up so many doors.
It does a whole
new world, Juan.
-Over the years, we've helped
a lot of people Freddy.
-Mmm-hmm.
Well, one that really
stands out is Clay Strickland.
-He does stand out.
That's for sure.
-Yeah.
-How is it going?
-Going well.
-Welcome to Valdez.
-[chuckles] Thanks.
-Clay, nice to
finally meet you.
-Yeah.
Nice to meet you in person.
He's just a big
teddy bear, man.
You look at him
like this big burly miner.
Just a great guy.
-Started with a gold pan.
-[Juan] Yeah.
Yeah, and he's out there,
you know,
-chasing that dream
with his daughter.
-Mmm-hmm.
[Freddy] Well, let's have
a look at the wash plant, huh?
[narrator] Clay Strickland,
a seasonal miner
from the Lower 48
has failed to recover
the 30 ounces per year
he needs
has failed to recover
the 30 ounces per year
he needs
to make his
Alaskan mine viable.
[Clay] It's somewhat
of a Frankenstein machine,
but it works.
Thinking I'm
gonna call it Eva.
[Juan] Eva?
Eva... that's...
My, uh,
My oldest daughter, her mom
passed away in a car accident
and, I promised her
that I'd make
the gold mine work...
and so...
-[Freddy] That's
a good name then.
-[Juan] Yeah.
In a way, this is...
In a way, this is...
something that's...
that's unfinished business.
You know, he had
so much on the line, he was
basically banking on that.
You know, that's what
he wanted to do.
He tied every penny that
he had into that mine.
-That's what was putting bread
on his table, or hoping to.
-[Juan] Yeah.
You know, it puts
that much more energy
into what we're doing.
In the sense that, "Hey,
we want to really make sure
that we can do as much
as we can with the
time we have here...
-That's exactly right.
-...and help his family out."
[Freddy] Well,
fire it up, Clay.
[engine starts]
[engine starts]
[narrator] Within minutes,
Detective Dodge identifies
the first major problem.
-[Freddy] Those holes
are pretty damn big, huh?
-[Clay] Yeah.
-Look at that.
-[Freddy] Yeah.
-[Clay] You can't have that.
-No.
-And that trommel
with those massive holes.
-Mmm-hmm.
-Gold you can barely see...
-[laughing]
...and inch and a half holes.
I don't want
to lose any gold,
well, you're actually losing
gold because of that
big son of a gun.
[Freddy] Exactly, right.
[Freddy] Exactly, right.
[narrator] Freddy's solution?
Add a mesh screen to
keep out the bigger rocks.
What've we got?
So, you got monster rocks
going down your sluice
box right now.
So, what we're doing,
wrapping it with this screen.
You can see it, right?
Absolutely.
[Freddy] So, now
we're cutting it down
to three-eighths, right?
You know, if you
and your crew want to finish,
-we'll go from there.
-[Clay] Sounds good.
I can say he's probably
one of the most
-teachable people
we've ever helped.
-Mmm-hmm.
-Like a sponge.
-Yeah.
He's like, "I want to know."
He's like, "I'm here to learn.
He's like, "I want to know."
He's like, "I'm here to learn.
-You guys are
here to teach me."
-Mmm-hmm.
"Please teach me whatever
you can teach me,"
-and he was all about it.
-That's right.
[narrator] Juan also welds
a steel ring to the inside of
the trommel to retain water,
washing more gold
off the rocks,
and into the sluice.
Well, that's it.
Last weld.
[water gushing]
[narrator] But only
the final test will prove
if Freddy and Juan's fixes
can save the dream Clay
shared with his late wife.
can save the dream Clay
shared with his late wife.
Look at that.
That's perfect.
[narrator] The previous test
produced just 0.27 ounces.
[Freddy] 0.61.
-Whoo! That's some gold there.
-[all cheering]
-Oh, yeah. We got some gold.
-[all laughing]
-Oh, yeah. We got some gold.
-[all laughing]
[narrator] An increase
of over 125%.
Honestly, when we left,
the way their plant was set up
-and the ground he was on,
it was a viable operation.
-Exactly right.
-Let's give him a call, huh?
-Yeah.
Let's do it.
Clay, what's going on buddy?
I feel like there's hope.
We've got gold here.
I'm thinking I'll go ahead
and put at least
another ring in
to try to slow the material
down even further inside
and, uh, try to get
as good of a wash as I can.
and, uh, try to get
as good of a wash as I can.
-There you go.
-Nice.
- After I found some
better stuff upstream.
-[Freddy] Good.
As luck would have it,
I'm gonna wind up
moving the plant up there
-probably about 1000 feet
or so up the stream bed.
-Right.
You know that's a big part
of it. As you grow,
you got to evolve, right?
You constantly have to grow.
Get out there
and give her hell.
[Clay] I feel like
I'm going into this season
completely different.
You know, like,
somewhat of a...
A Freddy Dodge
and Juan Ibarra graduate.
A Freddy Dodge
and Juan Ibarra graduate.
[all laughing]
-Well, he's really
screwed up now.
-[both laughing]
-It's all downhill from here.
-Yeah.
[both laughing]
You know, and honestly
I think it's safe to say
that you've kept your promise
to Eva, so...
And you know,
it's a hell of a thing.
Certainly giving it a shot
and I don't plan on
stopping any time soon.
[Freddy] Well, cool, Clay.
-It's been an absolute
pleasure talking to you man.
-[Juan] Absolutely.
See you later, Clay.
Yup, bye now.
If there's anybody that
deserves it, he deserves it.
Exactly right.
Exactly right.
-I hope his pans are full
of gold, huh, Juan?
-[Juan] Absolutely, yeah.
You know, honestly Freddy,
everyone we spoke to today,
-to me, it was a win,
all the way around.
-Yes.
So, I'm happy with that.
-Now, the fun begins
for this year.
-It does.
-Let's go get your
truck ready first, bud.
-Let's do it.
[Freddy] Looks like
gold country to me.
[Juan] Let's get on the road.
If you want a good life,
you have to get it yourself.
Oh! Hey!
[voice shaking] This place
is where my heart is.
I'm running on the last
$2,000 my family has.
Without them, this thing
doesn't go past next week.
Let's go!
Hey, stop! Shut it down!
-[grunts]
-Oh, my God. That's not good.
[both groan]
[both groan]
[yells]
[Juan] Hopefully, this isn't
the one that beats us, Fred.
[Freddy] You can fight
mother nature, but
mother nature's gonna win.
-Not good, Fred.
-Yeah.
Pretty sure this
is my last season.
Let's do something we've
never done before, Juano.
-[Juan] Take these springs
off my RC car.
-[Freddy] That'll work, Juan.
I'm gonna fuse
a broom as a wiper.
Holy fre-holy.
[all cheering]
-[Freddy] Holy smokes.
-That's what I'm
talking about.
-This is a 400%
increase in gold.
-Wow.
-This is a 400%
increase in gold.
-Wow.
That's amazing.
I can't explain what it means.
[all cheering]
I've never seen
that much gold.
-A hug.
-Love you.
My heart is out here
in the mountains.
I wouldn't
choose another life.
That's what dreams
are made of right there.
[Freddy] Woah, what is that?
It's gold.
-[epic music playing]
[Freddy] Here'll be
the most dangerous push,
down by this water's edge.
[narrator] Early spring
in Northern Colorado.
You wanna bring me, uh...
another load?
[narrator]
The new mining season
is just days away.
Gold recovery expert,
Freddy Dodge...
Where do you want it?
[narrator]
...and master fabricator,
Juan Ibarra
[narrator]
...and master fabricator,
Juan Ibarra
complete a new 55,000 gallon
bird and fish habitat build
by reclaiming an old mine site
close to Freddy's property.
Thank you, senor.
[Freddy] Perfect,
my friend. Perfect.
[Freddy laughs]
You're doing pretty good
for your first day.
[laughs]
-[music continues playing]
-[engine roaring]
[Juan] That looks
really good, Freddy.
[Freddy] Yeah.
-[Juan] You did
some beautiful work out here.
-[Freddy] Thank you.
-[Juan] You did
some beautiful work out here.
-[Freddy] Thank you.
[Juan] You know,
compared to what it
looked like in the beginning.
[Freddy]
I got a lot going on here.
We're moving some material.
You can see that pile.
Well, that wasn't there
yesterday like that.
And I've got
all that seated down there.
See all the
sandstone boulders
I brought in?
[Juan] So, that way
the fish can kind of...
-go underneath
and have a place to hide?
-Got places to hide.
-[Juan] Yep.
-[Freddy] Yeah.
I had people drop off
their used Christmas trees
and stuff.
-[Juan] Oh, okay, okay, yeah.
-A little place
for the fish to...
-[Juan] Oh, okay, okay, yeah.
-A little place
for the fish to...
hide out.
[Juan] Well,
you must have a ton of fish
'cause I saw a couple...
what are they...
herrings, out here?
Herrings.
But it looks really nice,
don't it, Juan?
[Juan] Yeah,
came out really nice.
-[Freddy] I had to get this
finished before we go.
-Yeah.
No, I get it.
-[Freddy] But let's head up
to the shop, huh?
-[Juan] All right. Let's go.
-Thank you.
-[Juan] We'll try to catch up
with some of the people
from last year, huh?
Let's do it.
[music playing]
[narrator] Every rescue,
Freddy and Juan
run a final test
to see how much
gold recovery has improved.
[Freddy] $700,
-more gold right here...
-Good job!
-more gold right here...
-Good job!
than you get in the first test
in four hours.
[narrator] But the true test
is how the miners carry on
without them.
That's massive.
What a difference
this is gonna make.
[narrator] On this episode,
Freddy and Juan
check back in...
I feel like I'm a Freddy Dodge
and Juan Ibarra graduate.
[Freddy chuckles]
-Well, he's really
screwed up now.
-[Juan chuckles] Yeah.
[narrator]
to find out if the fixes...
[thuds]
There's so many variables.
-We may look like yahoos
on this one.
-[Juan] Yeah.
[narrator]
...delivered the miners
big gold.
[Freddy] Yup, I see
that nugget there. Yeah
[Freddy] Yup, I see
that nugget there. Yeah
[Juan] That's a nice
little guy. Yeah.
But that's not the big one
you promised us.
[Juan chuckles]
[narrator] Or what can be
done better in the future.
Wait till you get deep,
-if that's on the surface.
-[Juan] Yeah.
[country music playing]
You know, probably
the most colorful character
-that we had this year,
Freddy, was Steve.
-[Freddy] Mmm-hmm.
-I'll agree with that.
- [Juan] Yeah.
-I'll agree with that.
- [Juan] Yeah.
-He was a cool guy
but he was all over the place.
-[Freddy] He was cool.
Uh-huh. Yep.
[serene instrumental
music playing]
1996 was the last time
I lived in what most people
consider normal accommodation.
[thunder rumbling]
[narrator] Last summer,
Freddy and Juan heeded a call
from Steve Lathem.
A miner living off grid
on his mine site
in a
converted shipping container.
You wanna really enjoy
a shower? Go without one
for a little while. [laughs]
You wanna really enjoy
a shower? Go without one
for a little while. [laughs]
[narrator] It's late
in the mining season.
But with help
from friend James,
Steve sets a lofty gold goal.
[Steve] I found
a little piece of land.
And in order
to buy that piece of land,
I'm gonna need...
20, 30 ounces.
[Freddy]
That's a rough one, living
in a shipping container.
I'd rather live in a camper.
-We've lived in campers,
you know, and it's tough.
-[Freddy] Mmm-hmm.
- Mmm-hmm. Mmm-hmm.
-[Juan] Even that...
You got all...
you got a kitchen,
-you got a bathroom,
and it's still tough.
-[Freddy] Gets cold.
-you got a bathroom,
and it's still tough.
-[Freddy] Gets cold.
-Yep. I didn't know he had
a kitchen or a bathroom.
-[Juan] But uh...
[narrator] Freddy and Juan
arrive to find the miner
blinded by nugget fever.
[Freddy] 'Cause I'm looking
at two and a half inch holes
in your trommel over there.
[Steve] Yeah, and I am glad
that they're that big.
'Cause there's a rumor
to be a 36 ounce nugget found
up here, back in the day.
What is the chances
that that is the only one?
I think slim.
[narrator]
First order of business?
[engine starts]
[dramatic music playing]
[narrator] Figure out how to
improve his gold recovery.
[narrator] Figure out how to
improve his gold recovery.
Where is gold in that bucket?
[Freddy] This guy's
definitely got gold fever.
[Juan] Look at that
slurry coming out, Freddy.
[Freddy] Yeah, look how dirty
those rocks are.
[Juan] I...
I bet you we're losing
15, 20% of the finds
out of the end of that.
[narrator]
Freddy's solution?
Add an extra sluice run
specifically for fine
gold recovery.
Cut a series of half-inch
slits in the trommel
to allow the fine gold
to drop into the new sluice.
to allow the fine gold
to drop into the new sluice.
Add three steel dams inside
to slow the material,
allowing more time to wash
the gold off the rocks.
He was completely obsessed
with nuggets, though, Freddy.
He was. He was sure there
was like a 3000 lb. nugget
laying in there somewhere.
Just waiting to be...
-And there could be
some big nuggets in there.
-Yeah.
-And I'm sure there
probably is.
-There is still some around.
-Absolutely.
-[Freddy] Yep.
But you can't sacrifice
all the small gold
-just for that one nugget
that may or may not come.
-That's exactly right.
-just for that one nugget
that may or may not come.
-That's exactly right.
That's what he was doing.
Honestly, I'm happy that he,
uh... he finally opened up
a little bit
and let us do
what we wanted to do.
-Yeah.
-We were able to put
that... that secondary
sluice on that almat system,
so we actually had a...
a fine sluice system.
-[Steve] Good?
-[Freddy] All right. Down.
And then we
put all the slits in the drum.
And, and... you know,
couple other things...
-We did the new pump, right?
-[Freddy] Mmm-hmm.
-Mmm-hmm.
-[Juan] A new...
-New water system,
new spray bar.
- [Freddy] Yep.
-Yep.
We did a lot things there.
- [Juan] Absolutely.
-[intense music playing]
-[motor whirring]
-[intense music playing]
-[motor whirring]
[narrator] Freddy and Juan
run a final test.
[intense music continues]
[Juan] You can see it, Freddy.
Look at the difference.
[Freddy] No water
coming out the end.
That's pretty awesome.
I'm happy with that.
[motor stops]
[narrator] To put Steve's goal
of 30 ounces within reach,
the final test
needs to deliver
at least a 40% improvement
on the first test,
at least a 40% improvement
on the first test,
which produced
just .13 ounces.
Well, guys...
-Moment of truth, huh?
-4-hour run.
-[Juan] Point-two-two.
-[James] Wow!
I cannot believe that, guys.
[Steve] And look at all
the fine gold in there too.
[narrator]
A massive increase of 70%.
Oh, my goodness sakes.
What a difference
this is gonna make.
-I'm happy that, uh,
we were able to help him.
-[Freddy] Yep.
But it was
a good recovery too.
-Good increase.
-It was.
Let's hope
he got the home he wanted.
Let's hope
he got the home he wanted.
[Juan] Should we call him
to see how he's doing?
-Give him a call Juan-o.
-[Juan] Yeah.
I'm happy
to see you're smiling.
-It's nice
to see you guys, too.
- [Juan chuckles]
So how'd the
rest of your season go, guys?
Did you ever
get into those big nuggets?
The new trommel
with the fixes you guys did,
yeah, it was just excellent.
We got a bit of gold, but...
As far as seeing how well that
new machine really shines,
it's gonna have to wait
until this spring.
-Okay.
-There's trees down
on the waterlines
so we're gonna
have to deal with that,
and we're gonna
need to dig out a bigger pond
and we're gonna
need to dig out a bigger pond
-to draw water on them.
- [Freddy] Yep.
[Steve] That'll be
one of the first steps.
Yeah, I would say stay tuned.
[chuckles]
We're happy to hear
that you guys
are still at it, though.
-So that...
that's a good thing.
-[Steve] Oh, absolutely.
We ended up acquiring
900 acres or something.
-[Freddy] Really?
-500... yeah, like...
Some of the best ground
that's arguably... that's left
in the wild for us.
-That stretch where...
- [Freddy] Nice.
-...where history took place
150 years ago.
- [Freddy] Nice.
[Juan] So are you still living
in a shipping container?
All... All I know is
I'm the resistant
off-grid prospector.
All... All I know is
I'm the resistant
off-grid prospector.
[Juan laughs]
But yeah, no...
It's already been great
just exploring
and finding nuggets
sitting on the ground.
[Steve] I don't know
if you guys can see that.
-Yep. I see that nugget. Yep.
-[Juan] Oh! That's a nice
little guy, yeah.
But that's not the big one
you promised us.
Oh, well...
[Juan laughs]
[Steve] Didn't even
have to look for that one.
It was sitting...
Just sitting there on bedrock.
-Didn't have to work for it.
Just say...
- [Freddy] Yeah.
"Oh, isn't that nice?"
Your plant's set up
where you can catch
that fine gold
as well as
your nuggets now, so,
as well as
your nuggets now, so,
-you know, the sky's the limit
hopefully for you guys.
-[Juan] Yeah.
[Steve] Spring...
spring brings fresh hopes.
We could be more excited
about the future.
Um... eager anticipation
to see that trommel
really shine.
-[Freddy] Yep. Let us know.
-Us too.
-It's been a pleasure.
-[Steve] Awesome seeing ya.
-[Freddy] Take care, guys.
-[Juan] Likewise.
Later, Steve.
-Later, James.
-All right.
And when
you find that big nugget,
we're gonna
split it four ways, so...
keep that in mind, too.
[Steve] Depends on how big.
If there's some pieces
that could
break off of it easy,
then yeah,
we'll about you.
Well, if there are pieces
that break off,
we get the bigger piece
-that's left over, okay?
-That's right.
[Steve] Oh! Yeah, yeah!
Of course he'd say that.
-Take care, guys.
-Likewise. Later, Steve.
Later, James.
[Steve] All right.
All the best.
-Bye.
-[James] Take care.
The dream is still alive.
He could still catch it
if it's there.
-Yep. But he's got the ability
at the same time...
-Yeah.
to recover his fine gold
-a lot better
than he was before.
-[Juan] Yeah.
And hopefully
he makes enough money
-where he can move out
of that shipping container.
-[Juan] Yeah. Yeah.
[upbeat instrumental
rock music playing]
[engine roaring]
[engine roaring]
[propeller whirring]
Is that it right there, Fred?
[narrator] Last year's rescues
took Freddy and Juan
to 15 mines across 5 states,
and two Canadian provinces.
You have to put spurs on
to drive down this road.
Yeah, you were not joking,
Freddy. This road's
pretty rough, buddy.
On top of us going out
and helping people, Freddy,
a lot of people
don't understand that
we genuinely drive the miles.
The amount of miles...
But we do it because we
believe in what we're doing,
we wanna help people.
But we do it because we
believe in what we're doing,
we wanna help people.
-We wanna help these families
-And we're
truly helping people.
Yep. Absolutely.
-Remember in
Busch Creek, there.
-Oh!
What a great bunch of guys,
eh, Juano?
Yeah, a really good
group of guys.
-[propellers whirring]
-[music playing]
-[Dennis] Hey, Freddy!
-[Freddy] How's it going?
-Dennis, I assume.
-Dennis.
-Clay.
-[Juan] Nice to meet ya.
-[Freddy] Clay.
-Freddy.
They've had
a lot of struggles in there.
They have,
but you know, it's great
that they're still at it.
-[Freddy] Mmm-hmm.
-They're still trying.
And they deserve
an opportunity to try
to go out there...
And they deserve
an opportunity to try
to go out there...
One, live their dream
-and be able to
make a little bit of money.
-That's right.
[narrator] Last year,
Busch Creek owner Dennis Boyce
was in need of a Hail Mary.
[Dennis] We've all put our
hearts and soul in it.
And if we don't
get our numbers up this year
then, you know,
this is gonna be it for us.
[tense music playing]
[narrator] With $5 million
already invested
in the operation,
the Busch Creek boys still
struggle to pay themselves
a living wage.
We just really
want it to work for us,
you know, and...
We just really
want it to work for us,
you know, and...
and make something of it.
You know, the labs
are telling us we have
all this fine gold here
and when
we run it through the plant,
mechanically,
we can't replicate that.
And that's what
our main problem is.
[motivational music playing]
[narrator] After a
series of fixes to the plant,
Freddy suspects the pay dirt's
not rich enough
to make the mine viable.
[Juan] You know,
honestly Freddy,
that doesn't
look like anything special.
No. It's not the
greatest ground right here,
No. It's not the
greatest ground right here,
but, you know,
it's our bread and butter.
We have to get it.
Where you guys are at,
you guys can't
afford to run mediocre dirt.
[intense music playing]
-[Freddy] Not a... No.
-[Juan] Not a ton.
[Freddy]
I was hoping to see more.
[narrator] Coming up...
Freddy and Juan check in
on their biggest innovation
of the season.
The underflow sluice...
That was awesome.
It's the perfect flow.
[narrator] And later,
a follow-up
on their
most emotional rescue.
on their
most emotional rescue.
You've kept your promise
to Eva.
Certainly giving it a shot
and I don't plan on stopping
any time soon.
[upbeat instrumental
rock music playing]
Might not be enough gold
where they're digging
right here, Juan.
[narrator] Last season
at the Busch Creek mine,
success depends
on Freddy finding
new gold rich ground.
-Well, I was kind of
looking around here.
-[Clay] Uh-huh.
-So, picture this
tight canyon, right?
-[Clay] Right.
We're thinking
most of your gold came
from that direction, right.
You see that tight canyon
coming down the mountains?
-[Clay] Yeah.
-[Freddy] Right.
So, it's tight, tight,
tight, tight, tight.
So, it's tight, tight,
tight, tight, tight.
And then we've got an outwash
right there.
The possibilities are there.
-[Freddy] Mmm-hmm.
-Especially with that
new ground you kind of started
pinpointing out like,
"Hey, there's
something going on there."
[tense music playing]
[Freddy] If I had one spot
on your mine
that I would mine,
-I would try this.
-[Clay] Okay.
[Dennis] Yep.
This has a huge potential.
You know, could be a...
a game changer.
And there was very
promising-looking gold
in it.
-Pretty decent stuff,
huh? Wow.
-Yeah, it was.
[narrator] But fate turned...
[narrator] But fate turned...
Oh! Damn! Damn!
[narrator] ...as the only
excavator on the remote site
bursts a hydraulic line
and can't be repaired
before the end of the rescue.
-[Juan] Yeah, I'm excited
to talk to the guys.
-[Freddy] Mmm-hmm.
And, uh, see how
that new cut's opened up
and how it's doing.
-Well, let's give
the Busch Creek boys a call.
-Yep.
-[Freddy] There we go.
-[Juan] There we are.
There we are.
[Freddy]
I got a text from you,
I haven't responded to it.
I wanted
to talk to you on here
that you guys went over there
and dug a shallow hole
with a dozer,
in that area
we were looking at.
Yeah, we scraped down
about 4 feet and, um...
grab some...
grabbed samples out of that.
And I tell you, it was just...
Really surprising.
-Tons of color in it.
- [Freddy] Yeah.
Blew me away,
what it looked like. I was...
It was crazy.
-Wait till you get deep
if that's on the surface.
-[Juan] Yeah.
Before we
even got the dozer there,
we walked about 50 yards,
where you were digging around.
we walked about 50 yards,
where you were digging around.
Turned over some rocks
and pulled out some panfuls
and it was the same way.
-No kidding, huh?
-[Dennis] Oh, it's awesome.
-Very cool. Nice, yep.
-[Freddy] Nice! Yep.
[Clay]
It... it looked good, so...
Yeah, you hit it on the money
on that one.
-That makes me feel good.
-Yeah.
-[Juan] Cool.
-Yeah, we're excited about it.
Uh, we...
We're on it, so we'll be able
to walk in there and uh,
you know...
do some excavation
with a big backhoe.
I'm excited about that spot.
-Yeah, absolutely.
-And...
Soon as I seen it, I went...
Soon as I seen it, I went...
[exclaims]
What if they... I...
I was like, "I wonder
if they'll sell me that spot."
-All I want
is that area over there.
-[Juan] Yeah.
So the sluices and stuff
kept running good for ya?
[Clay] Yeah, they did.
They did.
We hit a sandy spot
that hit us again
a little bit.
We had to increase the flows
and what not to keep that
sluice from packing but...
we're... it ran fine.
-[Freddy] Yeah.
-Really impressed.
-That's the rest
of the season.
- [Juan] Well, good.
We can't thank y'all enough
for coming out and helping us,
We can't thank y'all enough
for coming out and helping us,
and it was such a pleasure
meeting you two and...
Um... the knowledge we learned
both on and off camera
is just...
Oh, it's awesome.
-I mean we really...
We really cherish that.
-Yeah.
Well, shoot, guys.
It's been an absolute pleasure
catching up with ya.
Yeah. Keep us posted.
Let us know how it does.
-Thanks a lot.
-[Freddy] Bye, guys.
[Juan] Bye.
See you later.
Good gold underneath them.
I knew it, though,
when we were
sitting in that cabin
-I'm like...
-"There's something there."
It was kind of weird,
though, Freddy.
You were sitting there
with a drink
in just underwear. That...
You were sitting there
with a drink
in just underwear. That...
It was just weird to me.
That's how I do
my best thinking.
[upbeat music playing]
Well, one of the
most innovative things we did
and probably the one
I'm most proud of from
last season is, uh...
that undercurrent sluice
we built for the Browns.
-[Freddy] Derek.
-Welcome.
Hey, I'm Juan.
-Nice to meet you, Juan.
-Freddy.
Hey, Freddy. Nice to meet you.
Hey, Freddy. Nice to meet you.
[Juan] Derek was great.
Great family.
-Wife, kids. Just...
just a good set up.
-[Freddy] Mmm-hmm.
-Yeah.
-You know, and for being
such a young guy
-he's worked really hard.
-He has.
And he deserves
everything that he has,
-because he's worked
his tail off for it.
-That's exactly right.
-He kind of started
with a gold pan.
-Yep.
Right there and, uh,
-has worked his way up
to where he's at now.
-Yeah.
[narrator] Derek Brown
persuaded his entire family
to give up everything
and mine for gold
in the Yukon wilderness.
[Derek] I got my father,
the mechanic,
myself, dirt mover,
myself, dirt mover,
-Go grab his knee.
-[Derek] My mother,
bookkeeper.
My wife,
mother, cook,
clean, laundry.
[narrator]
Despite their efforts,
the results
have failed to pay off.
[Christy] There's a lot
riding on this mine.
Doesn't happen
for us this year...
we need to think
of something else.
There's a lot of people
out there
that sacrifice a lot.
But, look at what gold's done
in the past, right?
Look at the sacrifices.
People left the East Coast
for the California Gold Rush.
Look at the sacrifices.
People left the East Coast
for the California Gold Rush.
I mean, gold has
always been a motivator
to make people do
extreme things,
sometimes crazy things.
But it's made...
a lot of people
a lot of money,
and it's taken
a lot of money away
from a lot of people.
[intense music playing]
-That your plant, huh?
What is that? A derocker, huh?
-[Derek] That...
-is a Pearson derocker.
-[Juan] Wow.
[narrator] Derockers
are built for rocky pay dirt.
But the two-inch gaps
in the articulated steel deck
allow chunky stones
to pass through
into the sluice
and disrupt the flow,
preventing fine gold
from settling.
-[rocks rattling]
-[Freddy] Like,
look at that rock right there.
[Juan] Here, let me grab one.
[Freddy] Look at that.
Yeah.
Right now, Freddy,
the way he's set up,
he has nothing
for fine gold recovery,
does he?
[Freddy] Yeah,
that super small stuff...
he's gonna catch some of it...
-But we wanna make sure
he can catch more of it.
-[Juan] Yeah.
-But we wanna make sure
he can catch more of it.
-[Juan] Yeah.
[Juan] Really, that derocker
needed to be rebuilt.
[Freddy] There's no way...
-[Juan] We couldn't do that.
No.
-Exactly. No.
-Not in a week.
-One, no material for it.
And two, just, you know,
you and I for a week,
it would take
every bit of that if we had
-a shop to do it.
-[Freddy] Mmm-hmm. Yep.
-And, uh... So that...
that was the best--
-Yeah, there were no--
-It was the best...
-Yeah.
Best solution
for the time we had.
-Most bang for the buck.
-Yeah, exactly.
[narrator]
Freddy's ingenious bush fix?
Build a new section
of sluice,
shield the top
with punch plates,
shield the top
with punch plates,
creating a rock-free section
of riffles below,
where the fine gold
can settle.
[Juan] The challenge is,
is that this is something
that we've never really built.
We kind of have an idea
of how it's supposed to work.
But until we actually build it
and put it together,
we really don't know
how it's gonna work.
So, it... it...
it's a little nerve-racking.
-How's it going?
-Good. How are you doing, man?
[narrator]
Derek's father Terry,
a heavy equipment mechanic,
has doubts.
I'll be completely open
and honest. I'm suspicious
that those teardrop holes
may not be wide enough,
which is a big problem.
We mortgaged our home
against the loan for this.
It's a huge financial risk...
It needs to work.
[Freddy] In theory,
this should work.
That doesn't mean it's gonna.
I've never tried
to get rid of big rocks
and screen rocks underwater.
[intense music playing]
I've never seen
anything like that
on a large scale, you know.
I've never seen
anything like that
on a large scale, you know.
-Yeah, no.
I've never seen it, period.
-[Freddy] Mmm-hmm.
So, when, when you
started talking about it,
I could visualize it.
I figured, I'm like,
"Okay, that makes sense."
-"But is it
gonna work, people?"
-[Juan laughs] Yeah.
-There's so many variables.
-We...
We may look like yahoos
on this one.
-Well, should we
give the Browns a call?
-Let's do it.
[narrator] Coming up...
An exclusive look
at Juan's new truck.
[epic music playing]
-You did that
just to be a smart-ass.
-I did!
-You did that
just to be a smart-ass.
-I did!
[country music playing]
-Well, should we
give the Browns a call?
-Let's do it.
How's it going, Derek?
-[Derek] Hey, guys!
-How you doing?
-Hey, good.
-Good to see you again.
Man, you're looking
all relaxed. Where are ya?
We're in Southern Mexico.
Oh, wow.
We're here for about a month,
just enjoying, you know,
like new experiences
for all the kids.
Nice and warm and sunshine
Nice and warm and sunshine
and get to go to the pool
two or three times a day.
So, that's exciting.
You're vacationing.
Are you celebrating? Did you
have a good season or what?
We ended up with
a good season.
We got three times
as much in the two weeks
-after you guys left.
-[Juan] Okay.
-Good on you.
-[Freddy] Yup.
The derocker with
the addition that you made,
that was awesome to see that.
It's the perfect flow.
-[Juan chuckling]
-I mean, under
the under flow sluice
we only continued sluicing
there another two weeks
we only continued sluicing
there another two weeks
-past when you guys left.
-[Juan] Okay.
It froze up.
[Freddy] So you got
froze out early. [chuckles]
-[Juan] Yeah.
-[Derek] Yeah.
Well, we're glad
the rest of your year
was successful there.
That makes us happy, you know.
Especially with something like
that sluice that we built.
I still can't believe it,
like, 'cause I know you had
three different pieces of wood
cut for the spacing.
- Uh, and the first one...
-[Juan chuckles]
We talked about that.
...you picked
was the right one.
We get lucky every
now and then.
-[all laughing]
-Once in a while even
a blind dog finds a bone.
-[all laughing]
-Once in a while even
a blind dog finds a bone.
Between the addition
that you made,
and, um, the three
other locations
we'll be working on
this summer, it's like,
a jampacked summer.
Well, I hope you,
fill a lot of pans with gold.
Yup, yup.
[laughing]
Yes, I hope so too.
Beyond all the equipment
and everything,
just guys'
combined experience.
-You guys want to say hi to
the kids and Christy, quick?
-Yeah, absolutely.
-[Juan] Hello.
-[Freddy] Hi guys.
-[Juan] Hello.
-[Freddy] Hi guys.
[Juan] How you doing?
Good to see ya.
Oh, look at him,
he's getting big.
-Yeah.
-[Juan] Wow.
Very cool.
Whose been learning
some Spanish today?
- Hola.
- Hola.
-[laughing]
-[Juan] Hola.
Too cute.
-We'll see you later guys.
-It was good
seeing the family.
Take care,
enjoy your vacation.
Hope to see you again.
[Derek] You've changed
the future for my kids
and my family.
Thank you.
You're welcome.
- Adios!
- Hasta luego.
[all] Adios!
[all] Adios!
-That's awesome.
-Yeah.
-You know, that puts a smile
on my face Freddy 'cause...
-Yeah.
-...we do all the work we do,
but that just brings it home.
-Mmm-hmm.
We do it for our families
and he's the prime example.
I love that.
Well, Juano, that's a win.
[Juan] Well,
here it is, Freddy.
[Freddy] That's
nice-looking, Juan.
[narrator] Over the winter,
Juan made a significant
equipment upgrade.
A new hi-tech work truck
to allow him to operate better
A new hi-tech work truck
to allow him to operate better
in the most remote gold mines.
[Juan] Yeah, I'm pretty
excited about it.
How many miles the old Pete
have on it, at the end?
[Juan] 750,000.
[Freddy] That's
a lot and a lot of 'em
-hard, hard miles.
- [Juan] Hard miles,
hard miles.
[Freddy] This is one
beautiful truck, Juan.
-Thank you, Freddy.
-Holy moly.
But, we didn't have enough
clearance on the old truck.
This truck--
[Freddy] Remember tearing
the bumpers off and stuff?
[Juan] I've torn several
bumpers off that truck.
[Freddy] I told you, Juan,
-no low rider trucks
when you bought it.
-[both laughing]
-no low rider trucks
when you bought it.
-[both laughing]
-Well, get this--
-[Freddy] Like, it looks cool,
-but Juan, but it's only
one inch off the ground.
-It looks great, that looks...
[Juan] This is built
for off-road,
but it can still
do highway speeds.
[Fred chuckles] You got
a cape on your bulldog, Juan.
[Juan] You know that was
my wife and kids'--
that was their addition.
[Freddy] That's a cuff off
one of your sleeves.
-That's exactly
one of my cuffs.
-[Freddy] That is cool.
[both laugh]
[Freddy] No,
this is nice, Juano.
[Juan] It's not four-wheel
drive, but we got really good
traction tires in the rear
[Juan] It's not four-wheel
drive, but we got really good
traction tires in the rear
and I got a locking
differential.
[Freddy] That's gonna
make a big difference.
-We got reels now?
-I finally got reels, Freddy.
You know, you gave me [bleep]
about it for years,
-I finally got a set of reels.
-[Fred chuckles] Yeah.
With the leads you have, too,
-I mean, you could
power a city with 'em.
-[Juan laughing]
-Like that big around.
I couldn't even drag 'em.
-[Juan laughing]
[Freddy] Is that the crane
off the Pete, Juan?
[Juan] Yeah, I pulled
the crane off the Pete,
put it on this truck.
12.5, 29-foot reach.
I don't want to get in
a crane measuring contest
-with you this year, Juano.
-[both chuckling]
Finally got an air reel.
-Nice.
-You know, before I used
to have to uncoil it,
-now, we got a hose
reel here as well.
-[Freddy] Mmm-hmm.
[Juan] Of course...
-That big vise.
-[Juan] Gotta have a big vise.
[Freddy] A good vise is worth
it's weight in gold.
-Literally.
-[Juan] Yeah.
I brought my trailer.
Heavy duty, 14,000 pounder,
and it's got a tilt-back.
Heavy duty, 14,000 pounder,
and it's got a tilt-back.
It's actually got the
heavy duty coating
on top of the deck,
-so it's rubber.
-[Freddy] Yeah.
And then, our last vehicle
we got this year.
-We didn't have one last year
and we could have used one.
-Yeah.
And I figured this one,
we got the crew cab,
we got four seats there,
we got the dump bed.
So, it's set up.
You know, we'll be
able to work out of it
-in these tight spots.
-Yep.
[Juan] Just to
stick to my roots, Fred,
let me show you.
[Freddy] What happened?
[Freddy] What happened?
-Oh, I knew it. I knew it.
-[Juan laughing]
Yep.
[both laughing]
-[Freddy] You did that
just to be a smart ass.
-[Juan] I did.
[both laughing]
I'm running on the last
$2,000 my family has.
Well, there's a lot of
pressure on us, Freddy.
This is their dream.
[Freddy] This is the type
of mine that scares me.
-You ready, P.J.?
-I was born ready.
No, shut it down!
-Remember Gregg and Trever?
-Yeah, Gregg and Trever, yeah.
Mr. Dodge, hello.
-How's it going, man?
-Good.
-They kinda had a rough
relationship there, Freddy.
-Yeah, they did.
[indistinct shouting]
[narrator]
Mine owner Gregg Morrill
invested everything
to turn his promising
hobby mine into a full-time
commercial operation.
-Just you and your son, right?
-Yes, sir.
-Trever, I assume.
-Yes, sir.
Good to meet you, Trever.
[narrator] But two years in,
Gregg, along with son, Trever,
are one bad season away
from losing it all.
If this mine worked out,
and me and my dad
If this mine worked out,
and me and my dad
made this
successful, together,
it would be awesome.
[Freddy] Well,
let's let to work.
[engine starts]
When we got to the Morrill's,
there was a lot of indications
-that there was a lot
of problems, Fred.
-Yeah, there was.
What do you think
the biggest one was?
Uh, well, the amount of gold
going out those tailings,
that weren't going
through that screen.
Fifteen, sixteen, seventeen...
-Seventeen colors.
-[Juan] That's unacceptable.
And that ribbed
rubber sluice box.
It has no holding capacity.
So, when we first
did the clean-up,
you know, we checked
the bottom foot of it,
it was just laced with gold.
But that's what happens,
when you take
a technology that
works fine in a, let's say,
a hobby mine situation,
and you upscale it,
you're going from
shoveling hundreds of pounds
an hour going across to
now you're doing 100,000
pounds an hour across it.
now you're doing 100,000
pounds an hour across it.
-Right, it just can't
handle it.
-[Juan] Yeah.
[narrator] But Gregg
and Trever's problems
ran much deeper.
Never seen that type
of thing, have you?
Never seen what?
The way you're
doing that right there.
-I like that.
-It's the same way
that I do it.
You keep telling me that
I'm losing gold that way.
-[clears throat]
-Bull.
Okay.
[Gregg] Hold it just a second.
Don't you forget who owns
this mine, who invested
every penny in this mine.
You are a hired hand
at this point.
You are a hired hand
at this point.
[Trever] I should be
learning it from him.
[Gregg] You may want to learn
what Freddy has to teach,
I have to, if this
is going to survive.
Don't overstep
your position, son.
They were like oil and water,
that's for sure.
They really didn't
get along at all, Freddy.
And it's kind of unfortunate,
you know,
they had a great
thing going there.
You know what,
it makes it harder on us,
because we're there
to find better gold for 'em.
-I'm not a therapist.
-No, neither am I.
I really don't want
to be a therapist.
-My dad and I
are great friends.
-[Freddy] Mmm-hmm.
-But when we work
together, we just clash.
-[Freddy] Mmm-hmm.
-But when we work
together, we just clash.
-[Freddy] Mmm-hmm.
-The clash that they had
was a little more extreme.
-Yup.
[narrator] The Morrill's
wash plant, features a 10-foot
chute with spray bars,
and one quarter inch
expanded metal to screen off
the larger rocks,
which Freddy and Juan
turn into an improvised
shaker deck.
We're gonna
mount this vibrator.
We've got the
mounting bracket,
weld it up
underneath here.
[Juan] That little vibrator
we put on there
- actually worked really well.
-[Freddy] Mmm-hmm.
You know, obviously,
it's not a production plant
where we're gonna run
hundreds and hundreds of yards
through there.
where we're gonna run
hundreds and hundreds of yards
through there.
That's right.
But it shook it enough
that it cleaned that material
and got the material
that had the gold,
'cause all this gold
is really small.
It allowed that material
to fall through and
go to the sluice box.
Where before, a large
percentage of it was going...
-Going right up...
-...right into the tailings.
Yeah.
[narrator] With a whole new
24-foot steel
sluice box installed,
another fix is complete.
Well, let's do a four-hour
test and see what happens.
[motor whirring]
[motor whirring]
Gregg, look how clean that is.
[narrator] The final test
comes down to the gold weigh.
-0.65 the first time,
right guys?
-[Gregg] Yup.
[Freddy] Quarter ounce.
Half ounce.
1.05.
-[Gregg] 1.05.
-Good job.
-Are you happy?
-Hell, yeah.
More than happy.
$700 more gold
right here than you did
the first test in four hours.
$700 more gold
right here than you did
the first test in four hours.
Well, I was proud
of what we did.
-Yeah, I--
-Working down there, I mean we
increased their gold recovery.
We at least got 'em where
they weren't fist fighting
-by the end of the...
-Yeah.
-...end of the fix
down there, you know?
-Yeah.
Because there's a lot
of tension.
-[Freddy] From the stress.
-From the stress, man.
You know, when you're freaked
out about, "Hey, we got
X amount of money going out,
we have nothing coming in,"
you know?
-Yeah, the lack of gold
creates high blood pressure.
-Oh yeah, it absolutely does.
-Well, let's give
Gregg a call.
-Let's do it.
How is it going, Gregg?
How is it going, Gregg?
- [Gregg] Doing Great.
-[Freddy] Good.
The changes you guys made
just made all the difference
in the world.
Cool. I talked to a person
you sold some gold to
and he said, "Holy cow."
He goes, "He brought
a lot of gold in."
So, congratulations
on last season, Gregg.
[Gregg] Right now,
everything's just like
a Singer sewing machine.
I expect to do
two and a half to three times
what we did last year.
Good. Happy to hear that.
Trever's not around
anymore, huh?
Not working with you?
No, he's in Denver
with his son.
[both] Okay.
Being a thousand miles
away from home and stuff
was just too stressful,
Being a thousand miles
away from home and stuff
was just too stressful,
too inconvenient,
too much downtime.
-[Juan] Yeah.
-Yeah. Yeah
It didn't seem to him
like he ever had
-any free time either.
-Yeah.
But, have you guys been
able to talk things through
and are you guys
getting along at least?
-Yeah, we are.
-[Juan] Oh, good.
Yeah.
Yeah, that's back to normal
and a good thing.
-Okay. I'm happy to hear that.
-Yeah.
Well, I'm glad things
are working out.
I'm glad you're finding
gold and I'm glad
you're still mining.
Well, we're still mining
thanks to you guys.
Well, we're still mining
thanks to you guys.
'Cause I'd have been
broke by now.
-I'd have been broke
with all this... [mutters]
-[Juan laughing]
I'd have had to pick up
a shovel again.
-Well, you take--
-Yeah. Have a good one.
I'm not surprised that, uh,
it didn't quite work out
with Gregg and Trever,
-but I'm happy they're
still on speaking terms.
-Mmm-hmm.
-They're probably better
friends, not working together.
-Yeah.
Yeah, from what I saw
-that's probably
the best outcome, really.
-Yeah.
-I agree. I agree.
-As long as they're
still talking, that's great.
Then it's great that his
gold production went boom.
-So, I'm happy with that.
-He's had 100% increase
-So, I'm happy with that.
-He's had 100% increase
after we left
for the season, so...
-100%, take that any day
of the week, my friend.
-Absolutely, yeah.
[narrator] Coming up,
Freddy and Juan catch up
with the season's
most emotional rescue.
Clay, what's going on buddy?
Things are all right.
-I feel like a Freddy Dodge
and Juan Ibarra graduate.
-[all laughing]
-Well, he's really
screwed up now.
-[both laughing]
[Freddy] Haven't practiced
Spanish all winter.
-It's time to start again,
my friend.
-[Juan laughing]
[Freddy] Three-eighths.
Tres quatros.
Ocho.
Tres octavos.
Say it with me, tres octavos.
Tres octavos.
There you go, three-eighths.
Dos, siete, uno, ocho.
Uh, my Spanish is good.
-Are you ocho or seis?
- Ocho.
-Are you ocho or seis?
- Ocho.
-[motor revs]
- Seis.
-No.
-Sixteen.
Eight.
-Eight?
-Eight, ocho.
[speaking in Spanish]
[speaking in English]
Freddy's Spanish is getting
better this year for sure.
[Fred laughing]
He's still having trouble with
saying the eights in Spanish.
Octavos
-We're getting there.
We're getting there.
- Uno ocho.
[speaking in Spanish]
[engine revs]
[speaking in English]
Your Spanish is going
to revolutionize Spanish.
-That's what
you're hoping, huh?
-That's the goal, yeah.
That's the goal. [chuckles]
You know Freddy, it's a great
thing when we show up on site,
and the people there, not only
do they want our help,
but they're willing to help us
and real willing to learn.
Willing to take
advice as well.
It opens up so many doors.
It does a whole
new world, Juan.
-Over the years, we've helped
a lot of people Freddy.
-Mmm-hmm.
Well, one that really
stands out is Clay Strickland.
-He does stand out.
That's for sure.
-Yeah.
-How is it going?
-Going well.
-Welcome to Valdez.
-[chuckles] Thanks.
-Clay, nice to
finally meet you.
-Yeah.
Nice to meet you in person.
He's just a big
teddy bear, man.
You look at him
like this big burly miner.
Just a great guy.
-Started with a gold pan.
-[Juan] Yeah.
Yeah, and he's out there,
you know,
-chasing that dream
with his daughter.
-Mmm-hmm.
[Freddy] Well, let's have
a look at the wash plant, huh?
[narrator] Clay Strickland,
a seasonal miner
from the Lower 48
has failed to recover
the 30 ounces per year
he needs
has failed to recover
the 30 ounces per year
he needs
to make his
Alaskan mine viable.
[Clay] It's somewhat
of a Frankenstein machine,
but it works.
Thinking I'm
gonna call it Eva.
[Juan] Eva?
Eva... that's...
My, uh,
My oldest daughter, her mom
passed away in a car accident
and, I promised her
that I'd make
the gold mine work...
and so...
-[Freddy] That's
a good name then.
-[Juan] Yeah.
In a way, this is...
In a way, this is...
something that's...
that's unfinished business.
You know, he had
so much on the line, he was
basically banking on that.
You know, that's what
he wanted to do.
He tied every penny that
he had into that mine.
-That's what was putting bread
on his table, or hoping to.
-[Juan] Yeah.
You know, it puts
that much more energy
into what we're doing.
In the sense that, "Hey,
we want to really make sure
that we can do as much
as we can with the
time we have here...
-That's exactly right.
-...and help his family out."
[Freddy] Well,
fire it up, Clay.
[engine starts]
[engine starts]
[narrator] Within minutes,
Detective Dodge identifies
the first major problem.
-[Freddy] Those holes
are pretty damn big, huh?
-[Clay] Yeah.
-Look at that.
-[Freddy] Yeah.
-[Clay] You can't have that.
-No.
-And that trommel
with those massive holes.
-Mmm-hmm.
-Gold you can barely see...
-[laughing]
...and inch and a half holes.
I don't want
to lose any gold,
well, you're actually losing
gold because of that
big son of a gun.
[Freddy] Exactly, right.
[Freddy] Exactly, right.
[narrator] Freddy's solution?
Add a mesh screen to
keep out the bigger rocks.
What've we got?
So, you got monster rocks
going down your sluice
box right now.
So, what we're doing,
wrapping it with this screen.
You can see it, right?
Absolutely.
[Freddy] So, now
we're cutting it down
to three-eighths, right?
You know, if you
and your crew want to finish,
-we'll go from there.
-[Clay] Sounds good.
I can say he's probably
one of the most
-teachable people
we've ever helped.
-Mmm-hmm.
-Like a sponge.
-Yeah.
He's like, "I want to know."
He's like, "I'm here to learn.
He's like, "I want to know."
He's like, "I'm here to learn.
-You guys are
here to teach me."
-Mmm-hmm.
"Please teach me whatever
you can teach me,"
-and he was all about it.
-That's right.
[narrator] Juan also welds
a steel ring to the inside of
the trommel to retain water,
washing more gold
off the rocks,
and into the sluice.
Well, that's it.
Last weld.
[water gushing]
[narrator] But only
the final test will prove
if Freddy and Juan's fixes
can save the dream Clay
shared with his late wife.
can save the dream Clay
shared with his late wife.
Look at that.
That's perfect.
[narrator] The previous test
produced just 0.27 ounces.
[Freddy] 0.61.
-Whoo! That's some gold there.
-[all cheering]
-Oh, yeah. We got some gold.
-[all laughing]
-Oh, yeah. We got some gold.
-[all laughing]
[narrator] An increase
of over 125%.
Honestly, when we left,
the way their plant was set up
-and the ground he was on,
it was a viable operation.
-Exactly right.
-Let's give him a call, huh?
-Yeah.
Let's do it.
Clay, what's going on buddy?
I feel like there's hope.
We've got gold here.
I'm thinking I'll go ahead
and put at least
another ring in
to try to slow the material
down even further inside
and, uh, try to get
as good of a wash as I can.
and, uh, try to get
as good of a wash as I can.
-There you go.
-Nice.
- After I found some
better stuff upstream.
-[Freddy] Good.
As luck would have it,
I'm gonna wind up
moving the plant up there
-probably about 1000 feet
or so up the stream bed.
-Right.
You know that's a big part
of it. As you grow,
you got to evolve, right?
You constantly have to grow.
Get out there
and give her hell.
[Clay] I feel like
I'm going into this season
completely different.
You know, like,
somewhat of a...
A Freddy Dodge
and Juan Ibarra graduate.
A Freddy Dodge
and Juan Ibarra graduate.
[all laughing]
-Well, he's really
screwed up now.
-[both laughing]
-It's all downhill from here.
-Yeah.
[both laughing]
You know, and honestly
I think it's safe to say
that you've kept your promise
to Eva, so...
And you know,
it's a hell of a thing.
Certainly giving it a shot
and I don't plan on
stopping any time soon.
[Freddy] Well, cool, Clay.
-It's been an absolute
pleasure talking to you man.
-[Juan] Absolutely.
See you later, Clay.
Yup, bye now.
If there's anybody that
deserves it, he deserves it.
Exactly right.
Exactly right.
-I hope his pans are full
of gold, huh, Juan?
-[Juan] Absolutely, yeah.
You know, honestly Freddy,
everyone we spoke to today,
-to me, it was a win,
all the way around.
-Yes.
So, I'm happy with that.
-Now, the fun begins
for this year.
-It does.
-Let's go get your
truck ready first, bud.
-Let's do it.
[Freddy] Looks like
gold country to me.
[Juan] Let's get on the road.
If you want a good life,
you have to get it yourself.
Oh! Hey!
[voice shaking] This place
is where my heart is.
I'm running on the last
$2,000 my family has.
Without them, this thing
doesn't go past next week.
Let's go!
Hey, stop! Shut it down!
-[grunts]
-Oh, my God. That's not good.
[both groan]
[both groan]
[yells]
[Juan] Hopefully, this isn't
the one that beats us, Fred.
[Freddy] You can fight
mother nature, but
mother nature's gonna win.
-Not good, Fred.
-Yeah.
Pretty sure this
is my last season.
Let's do something we've
never done before, Juano.
-[Juan] Take these springs
off my RC car.
-[Freddy] That'll work, Juan.
I'm gonna fuse
a broom as a wiper.
Holy fre-holy.
[all cheering]
-[Freddy] Holy smokes.
-That's what I'm
talking about.
-This is a 400%
increase in gold.
-Wow.
-This is a 400%
increase in gold.
-Wow.
That's amazing.
I can't explain what it means.
[all cheering]
I've never seen
that much gold.
-A hug.
-Love you.
My heart is out here
in the mountains.
I wouldn't
choose another life.
That's what dreams
are made of right there.
[Freddy] Woah, what is that?
It's gold.