Hoffman Family Gold (2022–…): Season 1, Episode 7 - Chasing the Big Score - full transcript
It's like a sick joke.
Winter has hit
Alaska's Seward Peninsula.
We're dreading this.
And Todd's
top producing plant
is frozen stiff.
Winter is here.
Any kind of delay can shut us
down for the entire year
Causing the
Hoffmans to come up short.
- 40.
- I don't know if we're gonna pull it off.
Now with just
two weeks left in the season,
They need 101 more
ounces of gold
to reach the critical
million-dollar Benchmark.
It's us against these machine.
It's us against time.
The Hoffmans have
overcome everything this mine
has thrown against them.
But this last setback
could be the end.
This is
the American dream,
and we want to
make it come true.
Big Trommel's down.
Dude, I've never
developed a hatred
towards a plant
like I've developed
towards that Big Trommel.
I feel like if it was a person
I'd probably fight it out
there in a frickin pay pile.
I mean, I'm not trying to
be a downer but
I don't think we're
gonna make it.
I don't see how we could.
With the Big Trommel down,
that's half our
production gone.
We gotta do something more.
If we're gonna make it.
The boys are
doing everything they can
everybody's busting
their butt right now.
All I can keep doing is
keep pushing them
and keep being out there
with them every day.
Our best
isn't good enough.
You know and
I hate saying that,
but you know,
the numbers don't lie.
We won't make it.
I know this much,
the ground is rich.
The other two plants,
we just got to keep
them running non-stop.
We still have
a little time left.
We've got to just cram
as much dirt through whatever
we got running.
You know at this point,
we got no other options.
It's almost the
end of the season.
The weather doesn't
give us a break.
It's gonna be too much
work to get that trommel
up and running.
We're focusing all of our
energy on the Z plant
and the Test Plant.
So I got to make sure
they're running as
much dirt as possible.
You know, there's nothing
else we can do right now
than mine non-stop around
the clock until we shut down.
What the heck is that?
Holy *bleep*
Are you kidding me?
That is a freaking
river channel.
Think we just found
a river channel.
You can see the difference
in the bedrock.
It's a lighter gray compared
to the areas around it.
Look at that quartz.
Oh, my God.
We've mined for
a lot of years,
we've heard about them,
talked about them.
That's a miner's dream.
If that's really what it is.
That means on this creek,
we get to the bottom of that,
that is gonna be
loaded with gold.
Placer minerals,
like the gold
The Hoffmans are after
are deposited into
rivers and streams
by natural erosion.
When a host rock
for the mineral
like a vein of quartz
is exposed at the surface.
As heavy minerals are
carried downstream
gold can work deep into
crevices in the bedrock
continuing the sink far down
becoming buried as more
geological events occur
in creating bedrock
rich with placer gold
hidden for thousands of years.
I think I might have
found a river channel.
- Like a real channel?
- Like a real river channel.
Wow, look at this.
Right through here.
Maybe it turns.
But all this river channel.
- Yeah.
- Right through here, Shoo!
I'll tell you what,
it's good news.
If he's correct,
Andy's discovery could be
the break to Hoffmans need.
They only have two weeks to
get an additional 101 ounces
and reach their 600 ounce goal
With the Hot mess shut down
they're getting fewer ounces
of gold each day.
Richer pay dirt could give
them the edge, they need.
All right, dude.
This could turn things
around for us.
Yeah.
Let's tell Jason.
I think he's gonna
want to know about this.
We found something.
I think it's pretty special.
Big chunks of rock.
I think it's an ancient
river channel.
I think there's probably
at least 15,000 yards
and we don't know
how deep though.
It's either 15,000 yards,
we hit our goal
or 15,000 yards of crap.
We don't know.
You might be sitting right
on top of a vein, right there.
It looks like it to me.
Well, what do I know?
I mean, let's get Keener
out here to tell us
what the geology is.
Call him. Let's call Keener.
All right, let me get him on.
Jeff Keener,
he's probably the most
well-known geologist out here.
He's truly, truly
an expert in gold.
We want to make some decisions
and we just would love to have
his opinion to confirm it.
He's very, very smart,
he's very intelligent.
I hate bugging this guy.
He loves this stuff.
- You think he does?
- Oh, I know.
He loves his property.
- Hello.
- Hey Jeff, it's Jason.
Hey, Jason
I have Todd and Andy here,
and they're pretty intrigued
about some of these
sections on Dahl,
and I thought well, maybe
we could get you on the phone
and at least invite
you out here
or talk to you shortly
if you had time.
Hey Keener, this is Todd.
Andy found something
very strange at the
very top of Dahl creek.
We're finding river layers
down below.
Are we on top of
a vein or something?
Something different there.
You think? Oh, my God.
So if you're right,
and we're right,
that ought to be
pretty rich, right?
On top of that sucker.
If you got time, Jeff.
We'd love to have you out.
Thanks, Jeff.
Appreciate it Jeff.
You bet.
Well, all we got to
do is just run it.
What do you say?
Let's run a day of trucks.
Okay.
- It's a lot of paydirt there.
- Lot of paydirt.
It's that or it's a lot of
paydirt with nothing in it,
and we just wasted our time.
Let's rock and roll.
- All right, let's do it.
- Let's do it.
Here comes the snow.
Typical Alaska, you know,
yesterday everything was
pretty well thought out,
now we got snow.
You know, it's snowy.
I wish it wasn't.
But you know what?
I wanted Keener
to run out here
and actually get his advice
in some of our decisions
Oh, man.
You know everybody's
been talking about
how good the gold is
in some of these creeks,
but a lot of this creeks
already been picked through,
you know, Jason's been
mining here for getting
close to a decade.
So we have the geologist,
Jeff Keener come out today,
you know, walk around
different parts of the mine
and we're gonna
see for ourselves
how good it really is.
Andy, Hunter.
Jeff Keener, geologist.
- Hi, guys. Nice to meet you.
- Nice to meet you, Jeff.
- Andy.
- Hello, Hunter. Nice to meet you.
Good to meet you too.
So we wanted to come up here
and have Keener talk to us
about Dahl creek.
Where's a good spot Andy?
Right up here somewhere?
So right there, there's
a shaft that goes straight in.
- Or a tunnel, I guess you call it.
- Yeah, I saw that.
- Let's go all the way up.
- Yeah.
Careful,
this is little slippery.
I want to bring a lot of gold
to the cleanup room.
If me and my grandpa
could share the experience
of getting couple
hundred ounce cleanups,
I would feel a lot
more satisfied.
Andy tell us what
you found in here.
So we started peeling off
this southern slope.
- It's full of big rock, big courts.
- Yeah.
And that was along this edge
and it was like a seam
of that grayer material,
but it's more clay.
- But it had quartz and stuff in it.
- Hmm.
So I'm like, "That looks like
a channel to me."
I mean,
gold mining's hard.
This stuff takes up
most of your life.
You know, but when you're
a kid and you're in your 20s,
you can't get that time back.
So I'm not really interested
in mediocre ground.
And it curved
like a river channel.
Yeah, that's exactly
what it looks like,
is there gold in it.
Yeah.
- Have you gotten to the bottom of it?
- No.
I would expect it to get
better the deeper you go.
This is an ancient channel
way below any of these...
where these other guys got.
All we can do
right now is speculate.
That's an important discovery
because I don't think that
historically that was mined.
Clearly, they were targeting
that upper red gravel.
Yeah, this is an exciting
discovery here
because this is brand-new.
Nobody found this before.
- Woah!
- So you guys might be in for a real treat here.
I hope you are.
This is exciting.
This is what we needed.
You guys might be in
for a real treat here.
I hope you are.
This is exciting.
Geologist Jeff Keener
has predicted that the area
where Andy found an ancient
riverbed shows promise.
If the team finds
high-quality paydirt,
that consistently yields over
3 ounces of gold per 100 yards
the season will be saved.
This is what
we needed.
- Well, let's go up to the dome and want to check out some map
- Sure.
And Todd also
want some expert advice
on the long-term prospects
of this mine.
- Keener, we laid out a map.
- All right.
I believe this is your map.
This is my map.
25 years ago just about.
So this map shows the claim
configuration at the time
and then all the drill holes
that I drilled out here.
There are 200 holes
drilled in 96,
and then followed up in 1997
with 100 more holes.
So in the 90s,
Jeff Keener came out here,
and he actually
drilled a lot of this
and worked this property.
There's a lot of
mystery out here
and hopefully he can
clear things up.
It feels like
this is not been explored
and developed like
areas in the Yukon
and areas around Fairbanks.
Yeah, pretty much
all of Dahl Creek
and this upper section
can all be reworked.
These were good miners
that were out here.
They knew what they were doing
but they only targeted
the very highest grade
pay they could find.
And so, wherever you see digs
by these old timers,
pay attention to that.
By drilling the best prospects
I found were between
Joe Creek and Atlas Creek
right in here.
It's a little bit shallower
here and not as much ice
and I had some
really good results
by just doing
a basic calculation.
It worked out to
70 ounces per 100 yards.
70?
Yeah. It was phenomenal.
Course gold.
- We made a mistake.
- No.
But keep in mind they're
gonna be very limited.
There it's just gonna be--
- Small Area.
- Real small area, right.
Well it doesn't take much
when it's that much gold.
Right, yeah.
This has been worked by
early primitive methods here.
That can all be reworked
and that's easy mining.
We're talking maybe
four feet deep or so.
Right here, where you think
it's the richest
on the entire map
is from between here,
Joe Creek and Atlas Creek
and pretty much none of this
has been touched by
any modern machinery.
I think that's true. Yeah.
Keener is saying
he has some test results
that are 70 ounces a 100.
That's just out of this world.
That's unheard of in
the placer mining world.
Any ground like that
has been gone through
five, six, seven times.
That is where I think
the future is for us mining.
That's gonna
change everything.
I want to see what's the
best way to get out there.
The way that I
used to get out there
is go up this part
of Quartz Creek.
And then cross the creek,
climb the hill side,
cross two ditch lines.
And then just follow
that ditch line.
And from here, you can
peel off and go to Joe Creek,
and it will continued on
up to Atlas Creek.
Is that spot
pretty tough to get to?
Access is difficult.
I just need to figure
out a way to get out there
because I really don't want to
leave here this season
without knowing
what's over there.
Thanks, Jeff.
That was awesome.
Well, I love
revisiting this stuff
and I think you guys are
gonna do well out here
and you're gonna be
making new discoveries.
I'm a little bit envious.
This just made my day,
made my year.
Now, we just got like,
seven months to wait.
Think and plan.
- It's a lot of work to do but...
- Yeah, there is.
But I don't
want to wait.
Honestly.
I don't even want
to leave here
without knowing
what's out there.
I could see in
Hunter's eye, you know,
like I could see the
twinkle in his eye.
He wants to go out there
and take a look.
So we'll see what happens.
You know what,
it's been a long season
and getting this confirmation
from Keener
is exactly what we
needed right now.
The day after
hearing Jeff Keener
talk of the gold possibilities
of the distant creeks,
Hunter immediately seeks
a way to get there.
Right now, I'm driving out to
find a guy named Barry.
I want to be able to
explore any of the
rest of Jason's claims.
I need something with tracks.
I need some sort of
off-road vehicle.
The tundra may
look like a flat surface,
but it's vegetation hides
an unpredictable terrain.
With pockets of
over saturated areas,
water under the surface
creates an unstable ground,
where dips and gaps can
swallow up the wheels
of any ordinary vehicle.
To get to Atlas Creek,
Hunter will need
a custom ride.
Being up here so remote,
you can't just go
and get stuff that you need
So you kind of either
got to ask around, trade.
From what I'm hearing,
Barry is the guy to go to
if I'm gonna be able to find
a tracked vehicle up here.
He's kind of my only option.
Everybody's saying that Barry
is the guy to call.
He's famous for finding
the biggest nugget ever found
in Alaska, 294 ounces.
That's insane.
- How's it going?
- Great.
- Hey, are you Barry?
- Yeah.
I'm Hunter.
Hey, Hunter.
- Hoffman, right?
- Yeah.
- How's it going?
- Good.
You guys are mining over here?
Yeah, over at Jason's,
down the road there.
I used to work for Jason.
What can I do you for?
I'm trying to get
out on the tundra
and I just don't have
anything that can
travel across that stuff.
Trying to get down to
Atlas and Joe Creek?
Yeah. I am actually.
Some tough ground to get to.
That's why I'm here.
I can only go so far
on foot, you know.
Oh yeah, you're going to
need a track rig all right.
I don't even know
what is up here
or how to get anything.
So you're kind of
my only resort.
Well, I can help you on that.
- Yeah.
- Oh, that would be awesome.
- I'm running out of time so...
- Okay.
- The sooner the better.
- Okay.
- I'll make some calls.
- Okay.
I appreciate that.
Nice to meet you. Thank you.
- Say hi to your dad, dude.
- I will.
Meanwhile,
a warmer day
means that Andy can
dig through the ancient
river channel
to get paydirt running
through the plants.
Hey, Todd to Andy.
Yeah, go ahead.
Tell me what you're
seeing down there.
We got a lot of paydirt.
And it ought to be
really rich.
This is gonna save
our butts, isn't it?
This is definitely gonna
get us our goal that we
need to get for sure.
And it couldn't come
at a better time.
I love it when you
talk to me like this.
I really do.
Just when we're mining.
I knew it, dude. I knew it.
I knew we weren't gonna
come out of here with just
our tail between our legs.
I knew we were at least
gonna get into paydirt.
It's not very often
that you get to be on
a rich creek like this
that the old timers
didn't scrape off.
And we're scratching it
right now.
We're actually taking
that pay to the plant
planning on running
at least 1,000 yards,
like a full day on this
and then pull the mats.
They're gonna be full of gold.
I guarantee you this,
next cleanup's gonna
be phenomenal.
This is bigger than
just the job.
This is a dream
and we want to
make it come true.
I feel pretty hopeful.
Another day in paradise
minus the palm trees.
This is the ancient riverbed
dirt that we hauled in.
Several hours later,
Nick and Dakota are
now pulling the mats
from the first run of the
ancient riverbed paydirt.
Hopes are high for gold values
that can save the season.
You can see up
in these top riffles,
the gold's just lined out.
You can see almost a solid
layer of it right here.
That's always a good
tell for the load.
Step one, you remove
those riffles.
Step two, you scoop out
all the topsoil off the mat.
Step three,
you roll those mats up
and you go dump
them out in the bin.
There's some chunkers
in this one.
- There is?
- Oh, yeah.
Gonna find out
what 1,600 yards off
of that cut really is.
It's gonna be a fun
clean up for us.
Ancient riverbed means
it's never been touched.
And there was some
big ones in there.
After last week's
disappointing goal total
of only 40 ounces,
it's clear that finding
better pay dirt
is the only way for
the Hoffmans to make
their season goal
and keep their
gold dream alive.
It gives me hope.
And it just makes me
want to get to work.
It's a great find.
And hopefully, this will be
the payday that we need.
Woo!
That thing is badass.
In order to
explore the hard-to-reach
areas of the mine
and pay sites with
unheard of gold values
Hunter has sourced
a vehicle that can handle
driving across tundra.
This thing is gnarly.
This thing's a lot bigger than
I was expecting, honestly.
Let's get her off the trailer.
The vehicle is a rare find.
A late 1980s Nodwell.
What do you think
about the tracks?
They're pretty sweet.
- Look good to you?
- Yeah.
Those are really cool.
This multi-purpose
two track vehicle
was the brainchild of
Canadian inventor,
Bruce Nodwell,
who was hired by
an oil company to
create a durable hauler
that could make it over sand,
muskeg, swamp and snow.
This is what you
need for the tundra.
This thing is no joke.
Look, how beefy that thing is.
I got to figure out
how to drive it.
Wow.
Let's go take her for a spin.
Let's do it.
This is the engine.
Dude.
We're sitting between
the engine.
That's Detroit Diesel.
It run real high RPM
That's insane.
- So go slow at first.
- Yeah.
Because you know,
controls are maybe
a little iffy.
Yeah.
Here's a serious
question, Randy.
You think we can pick up
some chicks in this thing?
- Of course.
- All right.
Let's take her to Vegas.
Let's go.
Oh, you really
got to give it some.
Yeah.
This is a hell of a machine.
She is a beast.
I can give it more, I think.
- It's just stiff.
- Go for it.
Woah, second gear.
RPM gauge says 0.
Whoops.
Do you dare third?
- Yeah.
- Oh!
Oh yeah, baby.
Woah!
- Now we are going, Randy.
- Yeah.
Just want to get
a little "Yee-haw", dude.
Yee-haw!
- Oh, this is kinda fun now.
- Yeah.
Woah!
Little sticky, dude.
Oh, my God.
The idea is that this thing
supposed to never get stuck,
but it has a big ass
winch for a reason.
Yeah, 24,000 pound winch.
Dude, you could hang
this thing straight in the air
on a 24,000 pound winch.
It probably doesn't weigh
more than 15,000 pounds.
When I find the gold vein,
I'm gonna winch it
out of the ground.
We just go left here?
- Yeah, just go over to the shop.
- Okay.
Here she is.
If this is gonna be the future
for me and Dakota
and you know, coming back
here for years to come,
I need to know what's
out there and I needed this.
So props to Barry
for coming through.
You know, he went
above and beyond,
I'm surprised that we
even were able to get
something like this out here
at the end of the season.
It's getting cold, the window
of opportunity is closing.
I think I want to
go through it.
Yeah, let's give her
a once-over.
I want to make sure that
rear differential's gonna be
working fine.
She's an old girl, dude.
Yeah, 1988.
- Yeah.
- So let me go through it
- and then I'll get back to you.
- Okay.
- All right.
- Sounds good. Thank you.
All right.
This is from the
ancient riverbed.
They ran 1600 yards
through the plant.
So kind of exciting
to see what we have.
They said, it looked good.
But we have to run it.
There's a first piece out
of the ancient riverbed
and it's pretty chunky.
When you find
a little piece like that,
it's kind of exciting,
you know.
Definitely getting colder.
Season's really
getting short now.
We're just a little bit
behind schedule.
Not enough time to
get it done, I'm afraid.
We'll see though.
Dad, you got a copy.
Yeah.
Come up to the yard here,
I want to show you something.
Be right up.
What do you think, Randy?
She's old and she smokes a lot
Well, you know
John Wayne smoked
and everybody liked him.
Yeah, what was he?
A two-pack-a-day?
What on Earth is this?
You like it?
That's what's getting me over
to Atlas and Joe Creek.
I don't know if it's gonna
get you anywhere.
- Dude, how old is this? 80s?
- 80...
- 88?
- 88.
Well...
I'm not so sure
it's gonna work.
What's it got in it?
Got a six v71 Detroit.
Okay.
It run real high RPM
For a transmission, automatic.
I see levers.
Yeah, levers are
steering brakes.
I mean, dude,
it's getting cold,
This is kind of our one shot.
That's how I look at it.
Listen, I agree that
the two ounces a 100 is good,
but it's expensive
to mine here.
And the only thing that
gets me fired up is
that trench over there.
Which you know is
70 ounces a 100.
- Well, I don't know--
- I mean that's what they said.
That sounds like...
It sounds ridiculous.
It sounds like we're trying to
find a Bigfoot or something.
I mean, it doesn't even...
If that exists
then we're on some
very special land.
But I don't want to
just get by.
- I want to kick ass.
- We need to see.
I want to kill it here
for years to come.
So get out there
and find what you can.
If we pull this off and we get
a second season,
I want to know
what's over there.
I do.
I really do. I always have.
Listen, be careful
over there, okay?
Love you. Go after it.
Luckily,
my dad didn't seem too upset
and I think it's because
he wants to know
what's over in
those creeks too.
That's what I want to,
you know,
help explore for my grandpa
and for the rest of us.
We only have one shot at this.
So I'm gonna go for it.
- Dude.
- Dude.
- I love it. Thank you buddy.
- Good luck, dude.
America, baby.
Ha-ha.
Okay.
- Now, 200 yards, right?
- Yeah.
Andy found what looks
like an ancient riverbed.
It's over on Dahl Creek.
So we're checking
out the paydirt
that he pulled from there.
Ancient riverbed.
Yep.
The clock's
ticking here.
So, I'm hoping that this
shows us the results
that we need to see.
The weather's coming in.
I'd like to see
a couple big cleanups
because we haven't
got enough so far.
We expected good things.
Well...
1.3.
1.3?
1.3.
- It doesn't even make sense.
- No, it doesn't.
- What is going on with this ground.
- I can't tell you.
That's what it is.
That's not good.
That's not gonna
get us to our goal.
Something's not right.
It's an ancient river channel.
- It's the lowest point in the whole dadgum valley.
- Yeah.
That looked like the best
paydirt that I ever saw.
I'm not convinced yet, but...
Meantime, we'll keep
giving you good dirt.
If I move any more,
I'll keep sending tests.
But that's not what we want.
All right, call me, I'll pan
before you send it.
- Okay.
- Okay?
I'm actually
speechless right now.
That river channel looked like
a sure thing to hit our goal.
I trust Keener's
expertise on this,
but you know with
these results, I don't...
I don't know.
It doesn't look
good right now.
Today we're gonna find out
whether or not this is the
future of our mining career.
Hunter Hoffman
has been obsessed
with the promise of this
remote Alaskan claim.
ever since hearing
about incredibly
high drill test numbers
from geologist, Jeff Keener.
I'm trying to bring back
a bucket loaded with gold
for Jack to see
in the gold room.
Supposed to be some
legendary ground out here.
And I don't think
anybody's laid foot on
this grounds in a long time.
I'm doing some
real deal exploring.
Hunter
is following a path
that will lead to Atlas Creek,
A prosperous gold site
established in the 1920s,
but he can only get there
if his terrain busting
Nodwell holds out.
This is one hell of a machine.
Come on, baby.
It's keeping me right on
the top of the tundra,
and I'm just cutting
through here, like no other.
Keeping an eye on
the temperature gauge,
my oil pressure.
Everything looks good so far.
From here, I can see
Joe Creek over there.
I can see where Keener got
that 70 ounce a 100 trench,
right there.
The only part I'm worried
about is this creek
crossing down here,
it's very tight.
When I let this thing
gear down
it doesn't like it.
I think the only reason
it's actually running is
because I put that
American flag on the back.
Here's where it gets sketchy,
right here.
Oh, Mother of God.
Come on, baby.
Come on.
Here we go.
Woo!
Not a bad ride.
Dude, this is
the closest thing
I've been to driving
a tank, right here.
All right. Hold on.
I am in some thick *bleep*
Oh, my God.
Dude!
Woo!
Woah!
I cannot believe
I just got through that.
I see an old
Quonset hut over here.
We're definitely heading
in the right direction.
I cannot believe
we're still going.
It's starting to get hot.
I'm creeping up towards
200 on my oil tabs.
Blowing some smoke now.
It was holding good and now...
I don't know.
The problem is, I don't even
know if anybody will be able
to get out here and rescue us.
A lot of smoke.
Oh, man.
Randy, we got a situation.
I'm blowing a lot of smoke.
How bad is it?
What's your temperature?
My oil temperature
is at about 200.
Is it still running?
Yeah, it's still running.
Sounds like she's
not gonna make it.
You turn it off,
she's not starting back up.
So do whatever you need to.
I think I'm gonna make it
to this Quonset hut
and that's where
she's gonna die.
Dude.
I think we check this out,
right here.
Let this old girl
cool off a little bit.
If I turn it off, it's not
gonna come back on.
Ah, that doesn't
look good to me.
I don't like how
this thing's smoking
but I'm glad I made
it this far, honestly.
Hopefully, we're not
stranded here.
I should have brought
more snacks
and a sleeping bag.
So right now, we're
standing on Atlas Creek.
Right over this hill
is Joe Creek.
And that's where
Keener dug a trench
that he says is
70 ounces a 100.
The rest of the area is
4 to 5 ounces a 100.
And anybody who knows
anything about gold mining,
that's insane.
That's the kind of ground
that you read books about.
There used to be
300 people living out here.
Now, we're seeing some
remains of the old timers.
I think that's
an old-school pump.
You know, they were
a different breed
coming out here on foot,
on horses or donkeys.
They didn't have
one of these tracked
vehicles to drive out here.
They didn't have
the heavy equipment.
They didn't have
all this stuff to get
down through the ice
and get down to
the really rich gold.
They're just getting what they
could in the creek beds here.
If they came all the way
out here,
I mean, they're
risking their lives
and if they were
willing to do that,
there had to have been
good gold.
Just the fact that
this building's here,
this is a good sign.
Just check it out.
Woah!
Dude, this is cool.
Look at all this.
Pieces of their old beds.
What is that?
It's an old stove?
They probably were
sleeping in here.
And this was their shop.
So, probably they
were using cables
and a little bucket line
to get dirt out of the
bottom of the creek.
Look at this old wrench.
This is pretty cool.
I think this is some sort of
an old rocker box.
This is the type of
wash plants they were
using back then.
They scribed it all out,
punched all these holes,
and they just work
the material down
and it kind of just goes
back and forth and zigzags.
This is all handmade.
They probably
built this out here.
That's pretty cool.
Right now, I'm gonna try to
find some gravels here
along the creek,
where it looks like,
it hasn't been touched.
Fill up my buckets and then
see if this Nodwell get me
back to camp or not.
Worst case,
I'm gonna carry these
buckets by hand on foot
and get them back
to Jack's gold room
because he needs to see this.
You know, we took
a break from gold mining
and when my dad asked
me to come again.
For me, it's not worth it
for our family to be out here
and spend most of the year
grinding for this gold
unless it's legendary.
This is the kind of ground
that we've been wanting
every single year.
Since I was 10-years-old
at Porcupine Creek,
this is the type of ground
we've been looking for.
It would mean a lot
for me to be able to
get onto some ground.
That's as good as
Keener says it is,
for my grandpa.
Where the gold is just
out of this world...
Let's get these buckets
to the gold room.
...and every guy is able
to take home a really
good chunk of gold.
I'm just praying to God
that this thing gets me
back to camp.
Come on, baby.
Somehow, this baby
is still running.
I didn't think this old girl
would make it this far,
but I think she's gonna
get us home.
Woo!
Starting to smell not good.
Come on, baby.
It's 100 more yards.
I need you right now.
Uh-oh. Died, right here.
That's not a good sign.
I'm going out the
emergency hatch.
She hung on just long enough.
Atlas Creek was
her last adventure.
And it was a good one.
Over on the southern slope,
working my way down to
the ancient river channel.
I want to get the dirt
they need to get.
But I will get to the
bottom of that channel
and I will find out
what's there.
I don't believe that it's bad.
I'm not very deep right now.
Andy's plan is to
follow the grooves of
the river channel upstream.
If there's an area that is
substantially deeper
than his previous find,
that's where the gold
has collected.
And so I'm
taking it off in layers.
There's a lot on the table
here for us to make this work.
And so we're gonna give it
every bit of effort that we
possibly can to get it done.
I'm gonna find out what's
the bottom of that channel.
Yo.
- What is that?
- Hey sorry, we're closed.
What's going on, man.
What do you got?
I just brought a little bit
of dirt from over
at Atlas Creek.
Oh, you made it.
I barely made it
there and back.
Well, I just want to pan this.
I think we'll just do
this one right here.
This is from just a little
pile of dirt off of
the side of the creek.
I've been dying to
get over there.
I don't think anybody
has really been over there.
- This is Atlas, right?
- Yeah, this is Atlas Creek.
Apparently this ground can be
70 ounces per 100 yards.
This isn't concentrate.
This is just straight.
A little pile of dirt there,
you know.
Was it by
any machines or...
There's like a little
old-school kind of rocker box.
Oh, that's what they used.
And this is you know,
not that far from that.
There's one, right there.
Yeah.
Hopefully, there's
some bigger pieces.
Holy *bleep*
The other day, I was
in the gold room,
and a fox came up
and he just lays down,
just wait for me.
And then when you talk to him,
he looks at you,
trying to understand.
If you'd go over to that hole
I've got hamburger in it.
I've got fish.
Watch, he's
gonna smell that.
He went
to the fish first.
See, I knew it.
Oh, he likes it.
Whoa, he says,
"Man, I got me something here"
He got that skin down
pretty quick.
He's not hurting
for his winter fat.
He's got it.
He put on a lot of weight,
coat's real, nice and thick.
Just like Andy's kind of
getting ready for winter.
Is it right to say that
you put on some weight?
No.
Pan it.
Hopefully, there's
some bigger pieces.
- Holy *bleep*
- Yeah.
There you go, man.
See, that's on top of the 30.
That's a big,
I can pick that up.
What the *bleep*
Where have you ever seen
raw dirt with gold like that?
Yeah. I know.
We're not even
into the bucket.
This is what's
sitting on the screen.
So far this looks really good.
You could pan for
a living over there.
Look at that.
Well Hunter,
you made the right call.
- Look at that.
- That is chunky, chunky stuff.
That one's got it's
own little shadow.
Dude, what's that?
15 chunks and a bunch
of fines.
- That's crazy.
- Yeah.
Your dad's gonna
be very, very happy.
This creek that
Jason's been mining on
is the least rich
out of all the creeks.
You can't do a pan
like that over here.
This looks like half an ounce
every bucket
you put in the plant.
This sure is.
Okay. I need to go
show my dad this pan.
Let's do it.
What you got, Hunter?
- What does this look like?
- This is Atlas?
Yeah.
How many pan?
This is one pan.
I clean the bucket,
I clean the pan,
clean the screens.
And this is a little pile
of dirt they left behind.
A little pile of dirt.
Oh, my gosh.
That was just sitting on top?
Dude you're kidding me,
that dirt that you took off
the side of that pile.
That was...
You can pick those up
with your fingers.
Okay, what is that a yard?
I mean...
I think it's an ounce a yard.
That's crazy.
Yeah, that crazy gold.
There we go.
I don't know.
An ounce a yard.
- An ounce a yard.
- Yeah, just a little bit under that but not much.
An ounce a yard.
We hope for an ounce a 100.
So, every yard...
Bucket is gonna
have an ounce of gold.
In all the years
of Gold Rush
from the Klondike to
the Colorado mountains,
to South America,
the miners have
found rich grounds.
We are cooking.
But nothing like this.
The pans the Hoffman team
are looking at right now
could be the start of
something very big
for their future.
if they can get
101 more ounces
before the end of the season.
This is the best ground
anybody here has ever been on.
I promise.
We all need to come back here
and go find out
what's out there.
Well, Keener said,
there'd be hot spots.
Now that we know
Atlas Creek isn't a myth.
I say, we go hard
at Dahl Creek.
Do whatever it takes
and get that lease.
We can't let this go
to anyone else.
- Nice job, Hunter.
- Hey, thank you for doing that.
- Appreciate it.
- Awesome.
Seriously, this is
for all of us out here.
It's incredible.
Winter has hit
Alaska's Seward Peninsula.
We're dreading this.
And Todd's
top producing plant
is frozen stiff.
Winter is here.
Any kind of delay can shut us
down for the entire year
Causing the
Hoffmans to come up short.
- 40.
- I don't know if we're gonna pull it off.
Now with just
two weeks left in the season,
They need 101 more
ounces of gold
to reach the critical
million-dollar Benchmark.
It's us against these machine.
It's us against time.
The Hoffmans have
overcome everything this mine
has thrown against them.
But this last setback
could be the end.
This is
the American dream,
and we want to
make it come true.
Big Trommel's down.
Dude, I've never
developed a hatred
towards a plant
like I've developed
towards that Big Trommel.
I feel like if it was a person
I'd probably fight it out
there in a frickin pay pile.
I mean, I'm not trying to
be a downer but
I don't think we're
gonna make it.
I don't see how we could.
With the Big Trommel down,
that's half our
production gone.
We gotta do something more.
If we're gonna make it.
The boys are
doing everything they can
everybody's busting
their butt right now.
All I can keep doing is
keep pushing them
and keep being out there
with them every day.
Our best
isn't good enough.
You know and
I hate saying that,
but you know,
the numbers don't lie.
We won't make it.
I know this much,
the ground is rich.
The other two plants,
we just got to keep
them running non-stop.
We still have
a little time left.
We've got to just cram
as much dirt through whatever
we got running.
You know at this point,
we got no other options.
It's almost the
end of the season.
The weather doesn't
give us a break.
It's gonna be too much
work to get that trommel
up and running.
We're focusing all of our
energy on the Z plant
and the Test Plant.
So I got to make sure
they're running as
much dirt as possible.
You know, there's nothing
else we can do right now
than mine non-stop around
the clock until we shut down.
What the heck is that?
Holy *bleep*
Are you kidding me?
That is a freaking
river channel.
Think we just found
a river channel.
You can see the difference
in the bedrock.
It's a lighter gray compared
to the areas around it.
Look at that quartz.
Oh, my God.
We've mined for
a lot of years,
we've heard about them,
talked about them.
That's a miner's dream.
If that's really what it is.
That means on this creek,
we get to the bottom of that,
that is gonna be
loaded with gold.
Placer minerals,
like the gold
The Hoffmans are after
are deposited into
rivers and streams
by natural erosion.
When a host rock
for the mineral
like a vein of quartz
is exposed at the surface.
As heavy minerals are
carried downstream
gold can work deep into
crevices in the bedrock
continuing the sink far down
becoming buried as more
geological events occur
in creating bedrock
rich with placer gold
hidden for thousands of years.
I think I might have
found a river channel.
- Like a real channel?
- Like a real river channel.
Wow, look at this.
Right through here.
Maybe it turns.
But all this river channel.
- Yeah.
- Right through here, Shoo!
I'll tell you what,
it's good news.
If he's correct,
Andy's discovery could be
the break to Hoffmans need.
They only have two weeks to
get an additional 101 ounces
and reach their 600 ounce goal
With the Hot mess shut down
they're getting fewer ounces
of gold each day.
Richer pay dirt could give
them the edge, they need.
All right, dude.
This could turn things
around for us.
Yeah.
Let's tell Jason.
I think he's gonna
want to know about this.
We found something.
I think it's pretty special.
Big chunks of rock.
I think it's an ancient
river channel.
I think there's probably
at least 15,000 yards
and we don't know
how deep though.
It's either 15,000 yards,
we hit our goal
or 15,000 yards of crap.
We don't know.
You might be sitting right
on top of a vein, right there.
It looks like it to me.
Well, what do I know?
I mean, let's get Keener
out here to tell us
what the geology is.
Call him. Let's call Keener.
All right, let me get him on.
Jeff Keener,
he's probably the most
well-known geologist out here.
He's truly, truly
an expert in gold.
We want to make some decisions
and we just would love to have
his opinion to confirm it.
He's very, very smart,
he's very intelligent.
I hate bugging this guy.
He loves this stuff.
- You think he does?
- Oh, I know.
He loves his property.
- Hello.
- Hey Jeff, it's Jason.
Hey, Jason
I have Todd and Andy here,
and they're pretty intrigued
about some of these
sections on Dahl,
and I thought well, maybe
we could get you on the phone
and at least invite
you out here
or talk to you shortly
if you had time.
Hey Keener, this is Todd.
Andy found something
very strange at the
very top of Dahl creek.
We're finding river layers
down below.
Are we on top of
a vein or something?
Something different there.
You think? Oh, my God.
So if you're right,
and we're right,
that ought to be
pretty rich, right?
On top of that sucker.
If you got time, Jeff.
We'd love to have you out.
Thanks, Jeff.
Appreciate it Jeff.
You bet.
Well, all we got to
do is just run it.
What do you say?
Let's run a day of trucks.
Okay.
- It's a lot of paydirt there.
- Lot of paydirt.
It's that or it's a lot of
paydirt with nothing in it,
and we just wasted our time.
Let's rock and roll.
- All right, let's do it.
- Let's do it.
Here comes the snow.
Typical Alaska, you know,
yesterday everything was
pretty well thought out,
now we got snow.
You know, it's snowy.
I wish it wasn't.
But you know what?
I wanted Keener
to run out here
and actually get his advice
in some of our decisions
Oh, man.
You know everybody's
been talking about
how good the gold is
in some of these creeks,
but a lot of this creeks
already been picked through,
you know, Jason's been
mining here for getting
close to a decade.
So we have the geologist,
Jeff Keener come out today,
you know, walk around
different parts of the mine
and we're gonna
see for ourselves
how good it really is.
Andy, Hunter.
Jeff Keener, geologist.
- Hi, guys. Nice to meet you.
- Nice to meet you, Jeff.
- Andy.
- Hello, Hunter. Nice to meet you.
Good to meet you too.
So we wanted to come up here
and have Keener talk to us
about Dahl creek.
Where's a good spot Andy?
Right up here somewhere?
So right there, there's
a shaft that goes straight in.
- Or a tunnel, I guess you call it.
- Yeah, I saw that.
- Let's go all the way up.
- Yeah.
Careful,
this is little slippery.
I want to bring a lot of gold
to the cleanup room.
If me and my grandpa
could share the experience
of getting couple
hundred ounce cleanups,
I would feel a lot
more satisfied.
Andy tell us what
you found in here.
So we started peeling off
this southern slope.
- It's full of big rock, big courts.
- Yeah.
And that was along this edge
and it was like a seam
of that grayer material,
but it's more clay.
- But it had quartz and stuff in it.
- Hmm.
So I'm like, "That looks like
a channel to me."
I mean,
gold mining's hard.
This stuff takes up
most of your life.
You know, but when you're
a kid and you're in your 20s,
you can't get that time back.
So I'm not really interested
in mediocre ground.
And it curved
like a river channel.
Yeah, that's exactly
what it looks like,
is there gold in it.
Yeah.
- Have you gotten to the bottom of it?
- No.
I would expect it to get
better the deeper you go.
This is an ancient channel
way below any of these...
where these other guys got.
All we can do
right now is speculate.
That's an important discovery
because I don't think that
historically that was mined.
Clearly, they were targeting
that upper red gravel.
Yeah, this is an exciting
discovery here
because this is brand-new.
Nobody found this before.
- Woah!
- So you guys might be in for a real treat here.
I hope you are.
This is exciting.
This is what we needed.
You guys might be in
for a real treat here.
I hope you are.
This is exciting.
Geologist Jeff Keener
has predicted that the area
where Andy found an ancient
riverbed shows promise.
If the team finds
high-quality paydirt,
that consistently yields over
3 ounces of gold per 100 yards
the season will be saved.
This is what
we needed.
- Well, let's go up to the dome and want to check out some map
- Sure.
And Todd also
want some expert advice
on the long-term prospects
of this mine.
- Keener, we laid out a map.
- All right.
I believe this is your map.
This is my map.
25 years ago just about.
So this map shows the claim
configuration at the time
and then all the drill holes
that I drilled out here.
There are 200 holes
drilled in 96,
and then followed up in 1997
with 100 more holes.
So in the 90s,
Jeff Keener came out here,
and he actually
drilled a lot of this
and worked this property.
There's a lot of
mystery out here
and hopefully he can
clear things up.
It feels like
this is not been explored
and developed like
areas in the Yukon
and areas around Fairbanks.
Yeah, pretty much
all of Dahl Creek
and this upper section
can all be reworked.
These were good miners
that were out here.
They knew what they were doing
but they only targeted
the very highest grade
pay they could find.
And so, wherever you see digs
by these old timers,
pay attention to that.
By drilling the best prospects
I found were between
Joe Creek and Atlas Creek
right in here.
It's a little bit shallower
here and not as much ice
and I had some
really good results
by just doing
a basic calculation.
It worked out to
70 ounces per 100 yards.
70?
Yeah. It was phenomenal.
Course gold.
- We made a mistake.
- No.
But keep in mind they're
gonna be very limited.
There it's just gonna be--
- Small Area.
- Real small area, right.
Well it doesn't take much
when it's that much gold.
Right, yeah.
This has been worked by
early primitive methods here.
That can all be reworked
and that's easy mining.
We're talking maybe
four feet deep or so.
Right here, where you think
it's the richest
on the entire map
is from between here,
Joe Creek and Atlas Creek
and pretty much none of this
has been touched by
any modern machinery.
I think that's true. Yeah.
Keener is saying
he has some test results
that are 70 ounces a 100.
That's just out of this world.
That's unheard of in
the placer mining world.
Any ground like that
has been gone through
five, six, seven times.
That is where I think
the future is for us mining.
That's gonna
change everything.
I want to see what's the
best way to get out there.
The way that I
used to get out there
is go up this part
of Quartz Creek.
And then cross the creek,
climb the hill side,
cross two ditch lines.
And then just follow
that ditch line.
And from here, you can
peel off and go to Joe Creek,
and it will continued on
up to Atlas Creek.
Is that spot
pretty tough to get to?
Access is difficult.
I just need to figure
out a way to get out there
because I really don't want to
leave here this season
without knowing
what's over there.
Thanks, Jeff.
That was awesome.
Well, I love
revisiting this stuff
and I think you guys are
gonna do well out here
and you're gonna be
making new discoveries.
I'm a little bit envious.
This just made my day,
made my year.
Now, we just got like,
seven months to wait.
Think and plan.
- It's a lot of work to do but...
- Yeah, there is.
But I don't
want to wait.
Honestly.
I don't even want
to leave here
without knowing
what's out there.
I could see in
Hunter's eye, you know,
like I could see the
twinkle in his eye.
He wants to go out there
and take a look.
So we'll see what happens.
You know what,
it's been a long season
and getting this confirmation
from Keener
is exactly what we
needed right now.
The day after
hearing Jeff Keener
talk of the gold possibilities
of the distant creeks,
Hunter immediately seeks
a way to get there.
Right now, I'm driving out to
find a guy named Barry.
I want to be able to
explore any of the
rest of Jason's claims.
I need something with tracks.
I need some sort of
off-road vehicle.
The tundra may
look like a flat surface,
but it's vegetation hides
an unpredictable terrain.
With pockets of
over saturated areas,
water under the surface
creates an unstable ground,
where dips and gaps can
swallow up the wheels
of any ordinary vehicle.
To get to Atlas Creek,
Hunter will need
a custom ride.
Being up here so remote,
you can't just go
and get stuff that you need
So you kind of either
got to ask around, trade.
From what I'm hearing,
Barry is the guy to go to
if I'm gonna be able to find
a tracked vehicle up here.
He's kind of my only option.
Everybody's saying that Barry
is the guy to call.
He's famous for finding
the biggest nugget ever found
in Alaska, 294 ounces.
That's insane.
- How's it going?
- Great.
- Hey, are you Barry?
- Yeah.
I'm Hunter.
Hey, Hunter.
- Hoffman, right?
- Yeah.
- How's it going?
- Good.
You guys are mining over here?
Yeah, over at Jason's,
down the road there.
I used to work for Jason.
What can I do you for?
I'm trying to get
out on the tundra
and I just don't have
anything that can
travel across that stuff.
Trying to get down to
Atlas and Joe Creek?
Yeah. I am actually.
Some tough ground to get to.
That's why I'm here.
I can only go so far
on foot, you know.
Oh yeah, you're going to
need a track rig all right.
I don't even know
what is up here
or how to get anything.
So you're kind of
my only resort.
Well, I can help you on that.
- Yeah.
- Oh, that would be awesome.
- I'm running out of time so...
- Okay.
- The sooner the better.
- Okay.
- I'll make some calls.
- Okay.
I appreciate that.
Nice to meet you. Thank you.
- Say hi to your dad, dude.
- I will.
Meanwhile,
a warmer day
means that Andy can
dig through the ancient
river channel
to get paydirt running
through the plants.
Hey, Todd to Andy.
Yeah, go ahead.
Tell me what you're
seeing down there.
We got a lot of paydirt.
And it ought to be
really rich.
This is gonna save
our butts, isn't it?
This is definitely gonna
get us our goal that we
need to get for sure.
And it couldn't come
at a better time.
I love it when you
talk to me like this.
I really do.
Just when we're mining.
I knew it, dude. I knew it.
I knew we weren't gonna
come out of here with just
our tail between our legs.
I knew we were at least
gonna get into paydirt.
It's not very often
that you get to be on
a rich creek like this
that the old timers
didn't scrape off.
And we're scratching it
right now.
We're actually taking
that pay to the plant
planning on running
at least 1,000 yards,
like a full day on this
and then pull the mats.
They're gonna be full of gold.
I guarantee you this,
next cleanup's gonna
be phenomenal.
This is bigger than
just the job.
This is a dream
and we want to
make it come true.
I feel pretty hopeful.
Another day in paradise
minus the palm trees.
This is the ancient riverbed
dirt that we hauled in.
Several hours later,
Nick and Dakota are
now pulling the mats
from the first run of the
ancient riverbed paydirt.
Hopes are high for gold values
that can save the season.
You can see up
in these top riffles,
the gold's just lined out.
You can see almost a solid
layer of it right here.
That's always a good
tell for the load.
Step one, you remove
those riffles.
Step two, you scoop out
all the topsoil off the mat.
Step three,
you roll those mats up
and you go dump
them out in the bin.
There's some chunkers
in this one.
- There is?
- Oh, yeah.
Gonna find out
what 1,600 yards off
of that cut really is.
It's gonna be a fun
clean up for us.
Ancient riverbed means
it's never been touched.
And there was some
big ones in there.
After last week's
disappointing goal total
of only 40 ounces,
it's clear that finding
better pay dirt
is the only way for
the Hoffmans to make
their season goal
and keep their
gold dream alive.
It gives me hope.
And it just makes me
want to get to work.
It's a great find.
And hopefully, this will be
the payday that we need.
Woo!
That thing is badass.
In order to
explore the hard-to-reach
areas of the mine
and pay sites with
unheard of gold values
Hunter has sourced
a vehicle that can handle
driving across tundra.
This thing is gnarly.
This thing's a lot bigger than
I was expecting, honestly.
Let's get her off the trailer.
The vehicle is a rare find.
A late 1980s Nodwell.
What do you think
about the tracks?
They're pretty sweet.
- Look good to you?
- Yeah.
Those are really cool.
This multi-purpose
two track vehicle
was the brainchild of
Canadian inventor,
Bruce Nodwell,
who was hired by
an oil company to
create a durable hauler
that could make it over sand,
muskeg, swamp and snow.
This is what you
need for the tundra.
This thing is no joke.
Look, how beefy that thing is.
I got to figure out
how to drive it.
Wow.
Let's go take her for a spin.
Let's do it.
This is the engine.
Dude.
We're sitting between
the engine.
That's Detroit Diesel.
It run real high RPM
That's insane.
- So go slow at first.
- Yeah.
Because you know,
controls are maybe
a little iffy.
Yeah.
Here's a serious
question, Randy.
You think we can pick up
some chicks in this thing?
- Of course.
- All right.
Let's take her to Vegas.
Let's go.
Oh, you really
got to give it some.
Yeah.
This is a hell of a machine.
She is a beast.
I can give it more, I think.
- It's just stiff.
- Go for it.
Woah, second gear.
RPM gauge says 0.
Whoops.
Do you dare third?
- Yeah.
- Oh!
Oh yeah, baby.
Woah!
- Now we are going, Randy.
- Yeah.
Just want to get
a little "Yee-haw", dude.
Yee-haw!
- Oh, this is kinda fun now.
- Yeah.
Woah!
Little sticky, dude.
Oh, my God.
The idea is that this thing
supposed to never get stuck,
but it has a big ass
winch for a reason.
Yeah, 24,000 pound winch.
Dude, you could hang
this thing straight in the air
on a 24,000 pound winch.
It probably doesn't weigh
more than 15,000 pounds.
When I find the gold vein,
I'm gonna winch it
out of the ground.
We just go left here?
- Yeah, just go over to the shop.
- Okay.
Here she is.
If this is gonna be the future
for me and Dakota
and you know, coming back
here for years to come,
I need to know what's
out there and I needed this.
So props to Barry
for coming through.
You know, he went
above and beyond,
I'm surprised that we
even were able to get
something like this out here
at the end of the season.
It's getting cold, the window
of opportunity is closing.
I think I want to
go through it.
Yeah, let's give her
a once-over.
I want to make sure that
rear differential's gonna be
working fine.
She's an old girl, dude.
Yeah, 1988.
- Yeah.
- So let me go through it
- and then I'll get back to you.
- Okay.
- All right.
- Sounds good. Thank you.
All right.
This is from the
ancient riverbed.
They ran 1600 yards
through the plant.
So kind of exciting
to see what we have.
They said, it looked good.
But we have to run it.
There's a first piece out
of the ancient riverbed
and it's pretty chunky.
When you find
a little piece like that,
it's kind of exciting,
you know.
Definitely getting colder.
Season's really
getting short now.
We're just a little bit
behind schedule.
Not enough time to
get it done, I'm afraid.
We'll see though.
Dad, you got a copy.
Yeah.
Come up to the yard here,
I want to show you something.
Be right up.
What do you think, Randy?
She's old and she smokes a lot
Well, you know
John Wayne smoked
and everybody liked him.
Yeah, what was he?
A two-pack-a-day?
What on Earth is this?
You like it?
That's what's getting me over
to Atlas and Joe Creek.
I don't know if it's gonna
get you anywhere.
- Dude, how old is this? 80s?
- 80...
- 88?
- 88.
Well...
I'm not so sure
it's gonna work.
What's it got in it?
Got a six v71 Detroit.
Okay.
It run real high RPM
For a transmission, automatic.
I see levers.
Yeah, levers are
steering brakes.
I mean, dude,
it's getting cold,
This is kind of our one shot.
That's how I look at it.
Listen, I agree that
the two ounces a 100 is good,
but it's expensive
to mine here.
And the only thing that
gets me fired up is
that trench over there.
Which you know is
70 ounces a 100.
- Well, I don't know--
- I mean that's what they said.
That sounds like...
It sounds ridiculous.
It sounds like we're trying to
find a Bigfoot or something.
I mean, it doesn't even...
If that exists
then we're on some
very special land.
But I don't want to
just get by.
- I want to kick ass.
- We need to see.
I want to kill it here
for years to come.
So get out there
and find what you can.
If we pull this off and we get
a second season,
I want to know
what's over there.
I do.
I really do. I always have.
Listen, be careful
over there, okay?
Love you. Go after it.
Luckily,
my dad didn't seem too upset
and I think it's because
he wants to know
what's over in
those creeks too.
That's what I want to,
you know,
help explore for my grandpa
and for the rest of us.
We only have one shot at this.
So I'm gonna go for it.
- Dude.
- Dude.
- I love it. Thank you buddy.
- Good luck, dude.
America, baby.
Ha-ha.
Okay.
- Now, 200 yards, right?
- Yeah.
Andy found what looks
like an ancient riverbed.
It's over on Dahl Creek.
So we're checking
out the paydirt
that he pulled from there.
Ancient riverbed.
Yep.
The clock's
ticking here.
So, I'm hoping that this
shows us the results
that we need to see.
The weather's coming in.
I'd like to see
a couple big cleanups
because we haven't
got enough so far.
We expected good things.
Well...
1.3.
1.3?
1.3.
- It doesn't even make sense.
- No, it doesn't.
- What is going on with this ground.
- I can't tell you.
That's what it is.
That's not good.
That's not gonna
get us to our goal.
Something's not right.
It's an ancient river channel.
- It's the lowest point in the whole dadgum valley.
- Yeah.
That looked like the best
paydirt that I ever saw.
I'm not convinced yet, but...
Meantime, we'll keep
giving you good dirt.
If I move any more,
I'll keep sending tests.
But that's not what we want.
All right, call me, I'll pan
before you send it.
- Okay.
- Okay?
I'm actually
speechless right now.
That river channel looked like
a sure thing to hit our goal.
I trust Keener's
expertise on this,
but you know with
these results, I don't...
I don't know.
It doesn't look
good right now.
Today we're gonna find out
whether or not this is the
future of our mining career.
Hunter Hoffman
has been obsessed
with the promise of this
remote Alaskan claim.
ever since hearing
about incredibly
high drill test numbers
from geologist, Jeff Keener.
I'm trying to bring back
a bucket loaded with gold
for Jack to see
in the gold room.
Supposed to be some
legendary ground out here.
And I don't think
anybody's laid foot on
this grounds in a long time.
I'm doing some
real deal exploring.
Hunter
is following a path
that will lead to Atlas Creek,
A prosperous gold site
established in the 1920s,
but he can only get there
if his terrain busting
Nodwell holds out.
This is one hell of a machine.
Come on, baby.
It's keeping me right on
the top of the tundra,
and I'm just cutting
through here, like no other.
Keeping an eye on
the temperature gauge,
my oil pressure.
Everything looks good so far.
From here, I can see
Joe Creek over there.
I can see where Keener got
that 70 ounce a 100 trench,
right there.
The only part I'm worried
about is this creek
crossing down here,
it's very tight.
When I let this thing
gear down
it doesn't like it.
I think the only reason
it's actually running is
because I put that
American flag on the back.
Here's where it gets sketchy,
right here.
Oh, Mother of God.
Come on, baby.
Come on.
Here we go.
Woo!
Not a bad ride.
Dude, this is
the closest thing
I've been to driving
a tank, right here.
All right. Hold on.
I am in some thick *bleep*
Oh, my God.
Dude!
Woo!
Woah!
I cannot believe
I just got through that.
I see an old
Quonset hut over here.
We're definitely heading
in the right direction.
I cannot believe
we're still going.
It's starting to get hot.
I'm creeping up towards
200 on my oil tabs.
Blowing some smoke now.
It was holding good and now...
I don't know.
The problem is, I don't even
know if anybody will be able
to get out here and rescue us.
A lot of smoke.
Oh, man.
Randy, we got a situation.
I'm blowing a lot of smoke.
How bad is it?
What's your temperature?
My oil temperature
is at about 200.
Is it still running?
Yeah, it's still running.
Sounds like she's
not gonna make it.
You turn it off,
she's not starting back up.
So do whatever you need to.
I think I'm gonna make it
to this Quonset hut
and that's where
she's gonna die.
Dude.
I think we check this out,
right here.
Let this old girl
cool off a little bit.
If I turn it off, it's not
gonna come back on.
Ah, that doesn't
look good to me.
I don't like how
this thing's smoking
but I'm glad I made
it this far, honestly.
Hopefully, we're not
stranded here.
I should have brought
more snacks
and a sleeping bag.
So right now, we're
standing on Atlas Creek.
Right over this hill
is Joe Creek.
And that's where
Keener dug a trench
that he says is
70 ounces a 100.
The rest of the area is
4 to 5 ounces a 100.
And anybody who knows
anything about gold mining,
that's insane.
That's the kind of ground
that you read books about.
There used to be
300 people living out here.
Now, we're seeing some
remains of the old timers.
I think that's
an old-school pump.
You know, they were
a different breed
coming out here on foot,
on horses or donkeys.
They didn't have
one of these tracked
vehicles to drive out here.
They didn't have
the heavy equipment.
They didn't have
all this stuff to get
down through the ice
and get down to
the really rich gold.
They're just getting what they
could in the creek beds here.
If they came all the way
out here,
I mean, they're
risking their lives
and if they were
willing to do that,
there had to have been
good gold.
Just the fact that
this building's here,
this is a good sign.
Just check it out.
Woah!
Dude, this is cool.
Look at all this.
Pieces of their old beds.
What is that?
It's an old stove?
They probably were
sleeping in here.
And this was their shop.
So, probably they
were using cables
and a little bucket line
to get dirt out of the
bottom of the creek.
Look at this old wrench.
This is pretty cool.
I think this is some sort of
an old rocker box.
This is the type of
wash plants they were
using back then.
They scribed it all out,
punched all these holes,
and they just work
the material down
and it kind of just goes
back and forth and zigzags.
This is all handmade.
They probably
built this out here.
That's pretty cool.
Right now, I'm gonna try to
find some gravels here
along the creek,
where it looks like,
it hasn't been touched.
Fill up my buckets and then
see if this Nodwell get me
back to camp or not.
Worst case,
I'm gonna carry these
buckets by hand on foot
and get them back
to Jack's gold room
because he needs to see this.
You know, we took
a break from gold mining
and when my dad asked
me to come again.
For me, it's not worth it
for our family to be out here
and spend most of the year
grinding for this gold
unless it's legendary.
This is the kind of ground
that we've been wanting
every single year.
Since I was 10-years-old
at Porcupine Creek,
this is the type of ground
we've been looking for.
It would mean a lot
for me to be able to
get onto some ground.
That's as good as
Keener says it is,
for my grandpa.
Where the gold is just
out of this world...
Let's get these buckets
to the gold room.
...and every guy is able
to take home a really
good chunk of gold.
I'm just praying to God
that this thing gets me
back to camp.
Come on, baby.
Somehow, this baby
is still running.
I didn't think this old girl
would make it this far,
but I think she's gonna
get us home.
Woo!
Starting to smell not good.
Come on, baby.
It's 100 more yards.
I need you right now.
Uh-oh. Died, right here.
That's not a good sign.
I'm going out the
emergency hatch.
She hung on just long enough.
Atlas Creek was
her last adventure.
And it was a good one.
Over on the southern slope,
working my way down to
the ancient river channel.
I want to get the dirt
they need to get.
But I will get to the
bottom of that channel
and I will find out
what's there.
I don't believe that it's bad.
I'm not very deep right now.
Andy's plan is to
follow the grooves of
the river channel upstream.
If there's an area that is
substantially deeper
than his previous find,
that's where the gold
has collected.
And so I'm
taking it off in layers.
There's a lot on the table
here for us to make this work.
And so we're gonna give it
every bit of effort that we
possibly can to get it done.
I'm gonna find out what's
the bottom of that channel.
Yo.
- What is that?
- Hey sorry, we're closed.
What's going on, man.
What do you got?
I just brought a little bit
of dirt from over
at Atlas Creek.
Oh, you made it.
I barely made it
there and back.
Well, I just want to pan this.
I think we'll just do
this one right here.
This is from just a little
pile of dirt off of
the side of the creek.
I've been dying to
get over there.
I don't think anybody
has really been over there.
- This is Atlas, right?
- Yeah, this is Atlas Creek.
Apparently this ground can be
70 ounces per 100 yards.
This isn't concentrate.
This is just straight.
A little pile of dirt there,
you know.
Was it by
any machines or...
There's like a little
old-school kind of rocker box.
Oh, that's what they used.
And this is you know,
not that far from that.
There's one, right there.
Yeah.
Hopefully, there's
some bigger pieces.
Holy *bleep*
The other day, I was
in the gold room,
and a fox came up
and he just lays down,
just wait for me.
And then when you talk to him,
he looks at you,
trying to understand.
If you'd go over to that hole
I've got hamburger in it.
I've got fish.
Watch, he's
gonna smell that.
He went
to the fish first.
See, I knew it.
Oh, he likes it.
Whoa, he says,
"Man, I got me something here"
He got that skin down
pretty quick.
He's not hurting
for his winter fat.
He's got it.
He put on a lot of weight,
coat's real, nice and thick.
Just like Andy's kind of
getting ready for winter.
Is it right to say that
you put on some weight?
No.
Pan it.
Hopefully, there's
some bigger pieces.
- Holy *bleep*
- Yeah.
There you go, man.
See, that's on top of the 30.
That's a big,
I can pick that up.
What the *bleep*
Where have you ever seen
raw dirt with gold like that?
Yeah. I know.
We're not even
into the bucket.
This is what's
sitting on the screen.
So far this looks really good.
You could pan for
a living over there.
Look at that.
Well Hunter,
you made the right call.
- Look at that.
- That is chunky, chunky stuff.
That one's got it's
own little shadow.
Dude, what's that?
15 chunks and a bunch
of fines.
- That's crazy.
- Yeah.
Your dad's gonna
be very, very happy.
This creek that
Jason's been mining on
is the least rich
out of all the creeks.
You can't do a pan
like that over here.
This looks like half an ounce
every bucket
you put in the plant.
This sure is.
Okay. I need to go
show my dad this pan.
Let's do it.
What you got, Hunter?
- What does this look like?
- This is Atlas?
Yeah.
How many pan?
This is one pan.
I clean the bucket,
I clean the pan,
clean the screens.
And this is a little pile
of dirt they left behind.
A little pile of dirt.
Oh, my gosh.
That was just sitting on top?
Dude you're kidding me,
that dirt that you took off
the side of that pile.
That was...
You can pick those up
with your fingers.
Okay, what is that a yard?
I mean...
I think it's an ounce a yard.
That's crazy.
Yeah, that crazy gold.
There we go.
I don't know.
An ounce a yard.
- An ounce a yard.
- Yeah, just a little bit under that but not much.
An ounce a yard.
We hope for an ounce a 100.
So, every yard...
Bucket is gonna
have an ounce of gold.
In all the years
of Gold Rush
from the Klondike to
the Colorado mountains,
to South America,
the miners have
found rich grounds.
We are cooking.
But nothing like this.
The pans the Hoffman team
are looking at right now
could be the start of
something very big
for their future.
if they can get
101 more ounces
before the end of the season.
This is the best ground
anybody here has ever been on.
I promise.
We all need to come back here
and go find out
what's out there.
Well, Keener said,
there'd be hot spots.
Now that we know
Atlas Creek isn't a myth.
I say, we go hard
at Dahl Creek.
Do whatever it takes
and get that lease.
We can't let this go
to anyone else.
- Nice job, Hunter.
- Hey, thank you for doing that.
- Appreciate it.
- Awesome.
Seriously, this is
for all of us out here.
It's incredible.