Hoffman Family Gold (2022–…): Season 2, Episode 1 - Episode #2.1 - full transcript
Last season,
the Hoffmans faced
the richest...
Yeah,
that's crazy gold.
...but toughest
mine of their career.
Shut it down! Shut it down!
Stop!
I don't think
we're gonna make it.
But they rose
to the challenge...
Come on, baby!
And won.
You guys out there,
did it, man.
Now, they're back
to get the gold.
This year,
I brought a killer crew.
Only the best.
This is almost like,
going to war.
You got your army
and The Holy Roller
is like your tank.
And this season,
the risk...
I am way out
on a limb, financially.
...is all
on Todd's shoulders.
Todd has thrown it
all on the line.
We need a lot of gold.
But there's one
obstacle he didn't see coming.
His son, Hunter.
Me and my Dad has totally
different styles of how
we operate, how we work.
- Cut down.
- Just be quiet.
Let me back drag it.
After years
of clashes...
- He died. I don't know why.
- Why?
...Hunter Hoffman
sets out on his own.
This is my tenth season.
I've always wanted to run
my own plant.
If we have
two plants going,
we have a better chance
of hitting our goal.
All I'm asking is for you
to give me a chance.
I hope you know what
you're getting involved into.
My mind
is already made up.
It's a big gamble.
It's a huge, huge risk.
The Hoffmans
may have finally hit
the motherload.
Look at Tater's hand.
- All gold, man.
- Is that
amazing or what?
This is the richest ground
that I've ever mined on.
Popping nuggets
left and right.
But will this
season tear them apart?
You guys said you will bring
the 650 here.
Don't ever
call me a liar.
'Cause I'll fight you
right out here in this
pay pile.
If we can't do it now,
we're in deep, deep trouble.
And me in financial ruin.
♪ Yeah, come on,
Give it to me ♪
♪ Yes, come on, now,
Give it to me ♪
♪ Yeah, now, come on,
Give it to me ♪
♪ Give it to me ♪
♪ Come on, give it to me ♪
Look at these, guys.
- Wow.
- Holy cow!
That's
a lineup, boys.
I got a lease
for all new equipment.
- Do you see that?
- Yeah.
You said new equipment.
That's insane.
Dude, this sick!
Pow.
Everything has
auto-greasers.
What do you think, Jack?
Oh, my gosh, Todd.
We've never ever
had equipment like this.
New bucket, new teeth,
new cutting edges.
New cab. It's like a new car.
This is crazy.
For ten years...
Hunter, my dad and I,
we've been looking for a mine
that is rich and hasn't been
picked through.
And I think we found it
right here at Mammoth Valley.
We know that
Mammoth Valley mine
is loaded with gold.
- Holy!
- Oh!
Let 'em see that.
- That is gold. What?
- That is crazy!
5.1 ounces per hundred.
Holy great!
It worked out to 70 ounces
per 100 yards.
That's just out of this world.
Last year, we barely
scratched the surface.
This is the type
of drone we've been
looking for.
But now, we're back to finish
what we started.
Okay, what's the plan. Andy!
How are we gonna get across
this freaking river?
That bridge will not hold
these machines.
No.
But we know, last year,
we never would have
made it across.
It's just too deep.
We had a drier year.
The water is as low
as we've ever seen it.
Hopefully, it's low enough.
This is our best opportunity.
I'll jump in the shortest
machine, the 360.
I feel my way across it
and once I get across,
then everybody can just follow
the exact the same route.
Guys, these machines
are like, the best machines
that we've ever
had a chance to run.
And I'm financially on
the hook on these babies,
so let's not stick one out
here in the river
and ruin the dang thing.
Last season was a disaster.
There's a hole
in the slurry line.
It's got a torque
converter overheat issue.
One excavator
has a leaky hose.
Massive oil leak.
You can't open the door.
The fuel truck
blew the engine.
This tire is junk. No good.
All the equipment
broke down.
It doesn't have enough
hydraulic power
to pull itself out.
Lot of smoke.
We actually spent
more time repairing it
than running it.
We're gonna be working
around the clock.
Not this year.
To succeed up here,
you cannot have breakdowns.
Come on, Andy.
Let's fire it up.
Let's bring that 360 out here.
Okay, fire it up.
You have to have
the best equipment
and that's what I paid for.
Look how much lower Andy is
- than a driver in one of those
rock trucks.
- Yeah.
We're gonna bring
Andy out with the 360
which is our shortest machine.
If we don't get these machines
across that river,
we're screwed.
- It is truly sink or swim.
You know?
- Yeah.
Come on, baby.
Andy is poking around,
he's feeling around.
He's looking for the hole,
just to make sure
he's gonna be safe.
Ooh, it's looking
deep already.
Damn, where my bucket is,
it looks like it will be
right at the flipping
top of the house.
Gonna be
really close.
Yeah,
I don't like that.
You're gonna throw water up
into the electronics
and everything else.
Getting deeper.
You're in the house
now, Andy.
Ooh. Uh-oh.
It's getting a lot deeper.
- We better get going.
- Oh, man.
Oh! Holy cow!
I gotta be getting close to
coming up the road.
Careful!
Careful, Andy.
Oh, my God.
Come on. Little further.
Okay, my bucket
is on shallower ground.
Going for it.
Go. Go, go, go, go, go.
We got it. We got it.
Oh, man. I thought
it was going down.
He freakin' made it.
No way.
He did it. He made it across.
Come on, Tater.
Coming through, you guys.
Follow that path, Tater.
Don't veer off of it.
Copy.
I am way out
on a limb, financially.
This mine is in
the Seward Peninsula
of Alaska.
80 miles off of Nome,
so we're completely
off the grid.
Wow, it's getting deep.
So my equipment
and transportation costs
are north of $750,000.
We got 'er.
Labor and fuel costs
are at about $150,000 each.
Ooh, she's getting deep.
I'm look at 600 ounces,
give or take
just to break even.
Hudson's coming through now.
But a good mine
gives you a profit
that you can take home
and it leaves enough gold
to put into next year.
That's our last truck.
So, I'm looking
for thousand ounces of gold
to call this season a win.
Okay,
don't turn yet.
Going through.
We're going through.
It's kinda slipping.
It's slipping.
Hey, that truck is slipping.
Hold up,
hold up. Don't carry it up.
I'll get behind him.
I'll tell you when I'm there.
When you feel me
touch your headache rack,
then you start going. Okay?
Ten-four.
There you go, boys.
That's how it's done, baby.
Nice job.
All right!
Yee-haw! We got her.
Love you, baby.
We did it. We got it.
We're good.
- Nailed it.
- Made it.
This year,
I brought a killer crew.
I need a hug.
- I need a hug.
- We win!
Awesome, man.
Need a pair of underwear.
I brought only the best.
I got my son, Hunter.
I got my son, Cub.
Andy and his son Dakota.
Even Sparky.
And I brought in a couple
of experts, Framer and Tater.
Those guys can run anything
that we have.
Okay, let's get these things
to the mine.
- Yeah.
- And let's get 'em going.
Let's go!
Great job, baby!
Here we are.
Last year, the equipment
was just constantly
breaking down
and Randy just stepped up
and just tried to keep
everything going.
I'm glad that he's back.
It's been a long time.
I'm ready.
It was a tough
seven months.
Knowing what we have here
and waiting to get back here,
it was enough
to drive you crazy.
It's great to be back.
I hate this washplant.
I hated everything
about this washplant.
And then, there were
the washplants last year.
The Z plant was basically
a trainwreck.
It throws its belts off
and then,
we have to shut down
and fix it, obviously.
The hot mess broke down
every other day.
It's a big piece of crap.
Our most reliable plant
was the slowest.
- Get over here.
- The little
test plant.
The whole trommel
just jumped.
But this year,
we have an ace up our sleeve.
Give me a honk.
Yeah!
And that is The Holy Roller.
This is almost like,
going to a war.
You got your army
and this is, like, your tank.
Just you, your tank,
your equipment
against the world. You know?
Can't believe
it's actually here, Todd.
Oh, yeah!
If I'm going to win,
I needed the best washplant
that I ever owned.
But she wasn't cheap.
This is the time that
we're gonna actually find out
what The Holy Roller
is made of.
But we gotta get it
off this truck.
And it's about 50,000 pounds
with this tube in the center.
So, Framer,
what do you think, man?
You hauled it in.
I think four excavators,
one in each corner and...
hope we can pick it up.
It's heavy.
Four excavators.
We gotta work as a team.
One guy screws up,
the thing flips over
and bends a tube,
and then, we're screwed.
- Okay?
- Yeah.
All right, let's go.
Right here, Hunter.
So, people have heard me
claim before,
"Hey, we're on
the best gold ever."
That's one of the best
goldbeds I've seen
in a long time.
We got some big hopes
on this paydirt right here.
Maybe some of the best dirt
we've ever ran.
- It doesn't get
any better than this.
- It doesn't get any better.
- What'd you find?
- The best pad
I've ever had out here.
This is a lot of freaking old.
This ground
is freaking awesome.
- Here we go. Huh?
- Holy frick!
And there's always some reason
why you come up short.
We busted our ass, Todd.
That ground is [bleep].
But we know
that gold is here
right beneath our feet.
We've redesigned
the screen section.
We've redesigned
the sluice boxes
after being around
the paydirt last year
in that clay.
I think we have
the right combination
to actually get all this gold.
I think this is our
secret weapon.
The Holy Roller's
design and size
is the perfect match
for the mine's tough
clay-rich soil.
The spray bar's
80,000 PSI jets push water
and erode nearly
300 yards of paydirt
every hour.
But weighing in at nearly
50,000 pounds,
getting it unloaded
will require their arsenal
of excavators.
- Work together.
- Here we go.
And a steady hand
as one wrong move could damage
which could end their season
before they get started.
Framer, you call it.
All right.
Up in the front. Go ahead.
Nice and easy.
Come on up. Come on up.
Come on up.
Come on up.
Hold that. Holding.
Ah, we got about five...
four-five inches on this side.
Go up about an inch and a half
and see how it looks.
Ready? Come on up.
Come on up. Easy.
Easy.
- Oh.
- All right.
Let's take the back up another
two and a half inches or so.
And then, we'll do the front.
Up on her.
Dakota, more.
Tater, you're low.
Come up.
It's a very tricky pick.
Dakota, you're down.
I'm out on my boom.
Hunter, slow down.
Easy. Easy.
You're good. Right there.
Okay, everybody,
hold up.
Okay. We're off. We're off.
- All right.
- Mikey,
get it out of here.
Drive it!
Go, Mikey. Go.
Easy. Easy.
Good going, Mike. Go!
Go, Mikey. Go!
Am I clear?
Yes, you're clear.
Okay, everybody, go slow.
Bring it down.
Everybody, watch your corners.
Gotta be very careful
with this thing.
This year,
this feels different.
Hold up, Hunter.
Easy. Easy.
I have the best equipment.
I have the best crew.
And if we are truly
on the best gold,
then there's no excuse.
This is it.
If we can't do it now,
we're in deep, deep trouble.
And me in financial ruin.
- Yo.
- Get down.
Yeah! Woo!
Oh, yeah!
Nice work, guys.
Man, we did it.
Good job.
All right,
boys, good job.
This may not seem like a lot
to a lot of people,
but for us to get
The Holy Roller
from where it started
as an idea
to, in the field...
Uh, it's a big deal.
So, for us, it's a win.
And hopefully,
gets a lot of gold.
Now, let's get
this plant running.
Go right.
You're good.
So, while I focus
on The Holy Roller,
to get that thing going,
Andy and the guys are actually
stacking pay from ancient
river channel.
It's about one to two
and half ounces per 100.
Yeah.
And then, Cub and Hunter
are gonna go prospect
a promising site
up there at Atlas Creek.
- Got everything?
- Yup.
I'm back this season.
Part if it is 'cause my
grandpa really wanted
me to come back.
But part of it is,
I still wanna know
what kinda gold is out here.
Still a little bit of mystery.
Here's the deal.
The Dog Creek Valley
is good, but it's...
Nothing compares to this.
That's why I wanna bring
you out here,
I want you to see this stuff.
I've done some
crazy pans over at Atlas.
Right now,
we're standing on Atlas Creek.
There used to be 300 people
living out here.
If they came all the way
out here...
I mean, they were risking
their lives
and if they were
willing to do that,
had to have been a good gold.
I think
it's a ounce a yard.
We all need to come back here
and go find out what's
out there.
This is how I knew,
this was the mine.
And this is why I'm back.
Yeah, this is it, man.
This is crazy.
I'm really glad
to have my little brother
up here.
This is gonna be a chance for
me and him to actually
mine, side-by side.
And I wanted to take Cub
to Alice 'cause
I want him to see where
our future in goldmining
may be.
Isn't this crazy?
- How old is this?
- I don't know, but...
Did you ever see wrenches
that look like this?
No, I have never.
This is the first time
I've been mining,
since I was a kid.
The reason I joined the team
is 'cause I have a wife
and a baby at home
and I want
to provide for them.
Look at this.
Look at this.
You don't want any of this?
I might.
I'm excited for this mine.
I know it's really good gold.
I'm excited to work
with my brother.
This is the type
of stuff these guys
were using in the mine. Okay?
So, if they were getting
enough gold
with something like this,
- it's probably pretty good.
- Yeah.
I had a meeting,
privately with my dad
before this season.
And I made some things
very clear
that were non-negotiable
things for me.
And part of it was me having,
you know,
some more leadership,
more responsibility,
a little bit of say
at what's going on here.
'Cause I've been doing this
every year since I was ten,
so this is all I know.
You know, most kids grew up
playing in summer and...
with their friends
or whatever,
but I was just
running machinery.
So, I feel like I'm an asset
to the team.
I feel like I need
to be listened to
and I'm hoping my dad has what
it takes to succeed this year.
I think he deserves it.
And I think every
single person on this team
deserves the win.
Either way...
there's a lot of stuff
out here which is a good sign.
I've never
wanted to win, ever,
as bad as I do right now.
I'm 100 percent in.
I'd lose a finger
for us to go on a win.
I think grandpa will like
this thing. Isn't it?
- Oh, yeah.
- He'll love it.
I'm gonna give it
100 percent.
And we're gonna go all the way
and see what we can do.
Okay. Let's get out of here.
For eight years,
this mine has been struggling.
Last year, we came in
to help them get to their
break-even point.
But that's not gonna
cut it for us.
We need to take this operation
to profitability.
So, I'm looking for
a thousand ounces this year
or there won't be a next.
Jimmy, you're getting
pretty good in that thing.
Thank you.
So are you.
I'm hoping, we can
at least build for a big,
big future.
You're literally building
the infrastructure, the road.
We're trying to get
the plant setup.
It's gonna be difficult.
First thing on my list...
is pull all these old
washplants out of the way.
Out with the old,
in with the new.
The Z plant
would take months to fix,
so we're taking that
out of operation.
Sixty years old.
Granny should have stopped
shaking a long time ago.
And my nemesis...
The Hot Mess
is a huge
pile of crap
that was leaking gold.
The end of the trommel
where it looks like there's
pay spilling out the end.
This is one place
they're losing gold.
So, we're gonna
pull that off the hill,
but we're gonna find out
how much gold
is right underneath it.
Gonna be tearing
apart the whole Hot Mess.
Trying to get it out of here.
We gotta clear this whole area
to set up our new ponds
and everything else
for the new plant, so...
We can't do anything
until this is gone.
The sooner the team
can get the Hot Mess removed
from the site,
the sooner they can get
The Holy Roller
up and running.
And producing the gold
they desperately need
to combat their startup costs.
Todd has given the team
an ambitious 72-hour deadline
to start processing paydirt.
To get
The Holy Runner running,
we gotta get the Hot Mess out.
We need this gravel
underneath it.
Plus, we just wanna see what
we got here in this paydirt
right underneath it.
What do you wanna
do next?
Trommel.
The whole frame, hopper,
feeder is all welded
to the frame.
- So, it's all coming out
one piece or--
- Good.
Yeah. [bleep] drag it off
the hill. That's what I think.
Hook me up on the front.
Hook it up?
Watch the show, baby.
I would recommend
standing as far back
as possible.
We'll see what happens.
I'm gonna carefully unhook
and maybe,
push it from the back.
No. Can't.
I would not unhook.
Unhook me.
Let's just
keep it simple, man.
Drag it off the hill
in one piece.
It's way less work all of us.
Unhook me!
He's gonna do it
his way.
Man...
This isn't the way I'd do it.
You wanna fire him?
Me and my dad have totally
different styles
of how we operate,
how we work.
Just my opinion.
It's really frustrating when
my dad disregards what I say.
Me and my dad have had pretty
serious issues
working together in the past.
I have my opinions,
he has his.
All I can do is control
what I can control
which is my emotions and...
I'm gonna try
to keep a cool head.
I'm gonna give you, like,
two more minutes
and then, I'm gonna have to
replace you with Hunter. Okay?
Dude, you gotta stop digging
a hole here though.
Seriously. It's making
it worse.
Try what?
Why don't
you to track around
to the other side.
Hook it up and then elevate it
while you track backwards
and just slide it down
the hill.
Okay.
Let's try it.
Right now,
I feel like we're wasting
valuable time.
This should have been
a three-hour project.
It's turned into
an all-day thing.
But right now, we need to get
The Holy Roller put together.
Little things like this add up
and it bites you
at the end of the season.
So, my dad doesn't wanna
listen to me
and actually, it's costing us
a lot of time.
Everybody, heads up.
Is it going at all?
It will go. Just stick up
as you back up.
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
- Keep rolling.
Keep rolling.
- There we go.
Here we go.
It's starting to wiggle
its way out.
You're gonna
hit a tipping point,
and it will start
coming down the hill.
There you go. See?
Wow, look at that.
Keep doing that.
Keep doing it.
Back, track.
Track backwards.
Oh, my God!
Yay!
I'm really hoping
that my dad will listen
to my suggestions this season.
I think it will be
to his own benefit.
I don't really know why
he wouldn't wanna
listen to me.
There we go, good work.
I don't if it's a
father-son pride, ego thing.
Okay.
Go and set her down.
Okay,
let's disconnect.
But hopefully,
it's not to his downfall.
With The Hot Mess
now out of the way,
the Hoffmans are ready
to turn their focus
on The Holy Roller.
Are you ready?
Can we bolt this now?
I'm just gonna
hook it for him.
Let him bang it in there.
We'll just try to get
bolts in it.
We're just trying to get
all the sluice pieces
bolted together.
Everything in mining,
it's all kinda, like, rough
and kinda rudimentary,
but once you get down
to the sluice box,
it's a fine science to
make sure that
it's working right.
But we've installed tons
of sluice boxes at this point.
Hold that corner.
We gotta get it just right.
That is perfect there.
So, should
go together with no issues.
The Holy Roller
is at a critical phase.
The Hoffmans are installing
the sluice in five pieces.
Each must align and maintain
a consistent fall
or the gold won't be trapped.
Did you wanna wire wheel that
or not or do anything?
I wouldn't.
- No?
- I don't know why.
Gonna bolt 'em together really
tight and caulk it again
at the top, so...
So, I'm gonna throw
a little silicone in here.
Get a little bit more
of a seal just to
prevent any leaks.
'Cause overtime it will erode
underneath your sluice box.
Get it unlevel and then you're
not catching gold as good.
I think, last year the plants
were only recovering
50 percent.
You know, we know
there's good pay here
and it's just
wasteful, honestly.
So, this year, you know,
we like to get our boxes
where we can recover
90 percent or more.
So, that's what
we're hoping for.
Make sure there's no
extra room underneath
the sluice box.
Most crucial to
a well-operating sluice box
is the angle of descent.
The team needs
the box to slope
two inches per foot of fall.
I think we're gonna have to
dig it out a little bit.
I told him, they've done this
like this before.
Three inches.
We gotta come up on this end.
And it was wrong.
And then, we do it again.
Todd's issue here
is that the ground layer
where the box will go
has not been
sufficiently prepared.
It will need to be
the perfect depth
and rigged properly
in order for water
to flow through
the sluice box correctly.
You don't dig
the ground out
where it's like a freaking
perfect foundation
under the sluice box.
I like to crib it
where you put it on legs
and you bring it up
to where you want it.
Yup.
How much do you think
we need to dig it out?
Three, four inches or...
The diverter box
needs to go down six inches
right now to be
at two inches per foot.
So, probably a foot.
Yup, ten-four.
Let's slide it
back out and let's take it
and set it up there by
that other nugget trap.
The amount
of material going down
the box,
the water, the angle,
everything is extremely
crucial to how much gold
you're gonna actually catch.
They always wanna
talk about efficiency
and they do everything where
it takes you three-four tries.
If we do [bleep] like this
all season,
we deserve to get no gold.
Another of
the mine's most
important sites
is almost up and running.
Jack's goldroom.
I'm the gold
cleaner-upper.
This is my goldroom,
this is my equipment.
I got, kinda
setup last year.
I fine-tuned it a little bit
more this year.
And I'm ready
to rock and roll.
Just adjusted the water.
Getting ready to fire that up.
Thurber has been
my longest
running friend
in this goldroom.
What it's doing is pushing up
water pressure.
I've spent more time with
the Hoffman family than my own
in the last 14 years.
Maybe I need a special award
for that, I don't know.
Obviously, there's good times,
there's horrible times.
I always joke
that it's Todd's dream
and it's our nightmare.
Let's put these in here.
I created this situation
that we're in.
I started the mining,
I started the...
the family.
I started all that.
So, it is my responsibility.
Dad! Why are you trying
to make another road out here?
I'm not! I'm just
trying to get rid
- of this material.
- I don't understand
your master plan.
We mined in the Yukon.
We mined in a jungle.
We've mined a lot
of different places.
Gotta get some pay.
We've had so many times where
we just didn't come up
to the mark.
You are freaking
kidding me!
Just leave me alone.
But I am so looking forward
to this season.
Todd has thrown
it all on line.
So, having said that,
we need a lot of gold.
After a failed
attempt at positioning
The Holy Roller's sluice box,
Todd has decided to dig out
a foot of earth
and adjust the grade
of their foundation
in order for the slope
to be perfect.
I'm excited
for The Holy Roller
to be up and running
and we'll see what happens
once I get this setup
and get everything level.
I can't believe
this is taking us all day.
Hey, we gotta set it, flip it.
Got a bolt.
Now, one more
bolt over there.
Look at this guy.
You know what would
be nice right now?
If we had a time for a nap.
That would be nice, right?
Hey.
So lucky.
It's kinda fun
working with him,
but it's also hard because
we argue and fight a lot
on these types of things.
So, he got his ideas,
I got mine,
so it's bittersweet.
It's fun at one point,
but also sometimes,
we get into spats. You know?
Come down a bit.
Down.
To get
The Holy Roller sluice box
up and running,
Todd, Hunter and Framer
are working
to lock in each panel.
It's a process that involves
big objects
and little room
for forgiveness.
Communication is paramount
to success.
Right.
Hold up, boom down.
- Boom down.
- Sticks out.
If he booms down,
it should come to us.
- How much you need?
- A lot more.
Down.
Come down
a little bit.
Down little bit.
- Why does he keep picking up?
- That's more up. I don't know.
I don't know.
He just is, like, whatever
the [bleep] he thinks.
No. He's...
What are you doing?
You're hitting the bolt.
What... What's going on?
I've said things
to you for days
and you completely
disregard everything I said.
Okay, then be
respectful. Knock it off.
[bleep] I'm leaving.
I don't even wanna
be a part of this.
I can't do this anymore.
I've said things
to you for days
and you completely
disregard everything I said.
Okay, then be
respectful. Knock it off.
[bleep] I'm leaving.
I don't even wanna
be a part of this.
I can't do this anymore.
It's extremely frustrating
working with my dad.
He's just beating up
his own washplant.
Beating up his own sluice box.
Which we only have one of.
So, it doesn't really
make sense to me.
That's the way he wants
to do it...
then, that's the way
it's gonna be, I guess.
All right. There you go.
Come on up.
Keep coming.
Keep coming.
There you go.
Framer. Check the fall
on the box. We might be good.
Styled, dialed
and profiled right there.
I don't know
where Hunter went.
But we're good. We're done.
Honestly, I'm just,
I'm frustrated because
my dad's kinda just
brushing me to the side,
not listening to me.
You know, we're not gonna be
successful if this continues,
so I need to talk
to my dad and Andy,
otherwise it's gonna hurt
all of us.
Andy Spinks
is my right-hand guy.
And, you know, Hunter's mined,
but he's never mined
like Andy.
Okay, what's on the plan?
Certain people
aren't being listened to.
We all need to throw in
our ideas in the hat.
I don't think you listened
to me one time
since we've been here
when we're working together.
And then you're like,
"Why do you have
a bad attitude?"
If you have this
disrespectful attitude,
there's gonna be
a cancer in the camp.
And I don't want that
cancer to start with you
and your attitude.
You can say, I'm starting
a cancer in the camp,
but I can say the same thing.
- 'Cause I don't think
you listen--
- Maybe I don't listen,
but one thing you'll never,
nobody will ever accuse
me of...
is being a cancer.
Because everyday I get up
and I'm positive.
I'm not a negative person.
So, there's
a difference between
the negativity
and then me expressing
that I think that this
is the wrong way to do it.
Or that... You know
what I mean?
Despite how you feel
about what I know,
there is things I do know.
And there's things where
I'm like this is the wrong way
to do it.
And we've already this year,
repeated some mistakes
from the past
and that's why
I get frustrated.
Because I know that we don't
have other shots at this.
So, what's your point?
I don't know anything about
being a father. Right?
But me looking at 'em, like,
I would put my kids
in those positions
and then they would grow
into it and they would learn.
And then after a couple
of weeks or a season,
they're at that level.
You know, give us young guys
little bit of area
to freaking grow into these
shows you want us to fill.
You gotta give us a little bit
of room to fly.
Sometimes I feel like,
when I was 14,
I was given more
responsibilities than
I do now.
And that's where I'm like,
"Why is that?"
I don't think that I'm gonna
go out here and do
everything perfectly.
But if I don't even get
a chance to do it,
that's how... I'm never
gonna learn.
Okay.
You're gonna get
more responsibility.
You gotta show up.
Because I'm gonna
call you on it if not.
And he's gonna call you on it.
You guys should be thinking,
"How can we utilize these guys
the best?"
Hey, don't push it.
- That's it.
- What do you mean,
don't push it?
- If you don't want me here,
just say that.
- Did I say that?
- No.
- Okay.
- All of us want you--
- I feel though
you're a little volatile
and I need you to be
- more of a team player.
- It's 'cause I'm passionate
about what we're doing.
I want all of us to win.
You gotta be more level
on this stuff.
So, when you
take responsibility,
you gotta have big shoulders.
Just know that moving forward.
Can you do it? Yeah, I think
you can do it. 100 percent.
But with the responsibility
comes the burden
of crap coming your way.
I think Hunter
is super-talented.
But there's things
that he doesn't know
that he thinks he knows.
But you don't find that out
without doing it.
Well, here's what
I want you to do.
Go with Thurber
and get that pump.
And I want you to
pump that lake out.
I would set it
and pump through
the culvert
that we just put in.
Pump in from this end
over the circuit.
- Yeah.
- Yeah, let's do that.
- All right.
- Just one thing
at a time.
- We'll just
knock 'em out together.
- Okay.
Help your fat dad up.
Let's go.
You know,
I hope my dad is genuine
when he says
he's gonna clue me in.
And he either is or he isn't.
But I think, for his benefit,
I would include me.
Or it's gonna be another one
of those seasons
where we came up short, so...
we'll see what happens.
You want
to just set it.
And then, have 'em come in
and dig a place for
the suctions.
Yeah, I don't know how long
the suction line is.
But we gotta
actually put the tongue
towards you,
so that discharge
goes out the culvert.
Yeah, ten-four.
Todd's tasked
Hunter with setting up
the Barco pump,
which will draw water
from the large pond
through the culvert
and up to The Holy Roller,
filling what's called
the water circuit.
That pump
we got last year...
And it's pretty awesome.
It has dual 12-inch
suctions on it,
so it pumps a lot of water.
If they can fill up
the water circuit,
they'll know they have
enough water on hand
to keep The Holy Roller
operating this season.
I don't think
we have enough water.
Hopefully, we do.
We'll pump in to see
where we're at.
Hopefully, it fills
the circuit
and then we can run it.
- This will work.
- You think that won't
disappear too much?
I think she'll hold.
Sitting now.
Hey, Hunter,
do you copy?
Yeah, go ahead.
Why do you tell me to
do it like this?
By pumping
into the bottom
of the water circuit,
the slope of the culvert
will fight any attempt
Hunter and Thurber
make to fill it to the top.
Just another step.
You do the wrong step,
you'll have to undo
a bunch of steps
and start over,
so it's a lot of work.
You gotta get water to it.
You gotta get power to it.
You gotta...
Yeah, there's just a ton
of work to be done. So...
I was just doing
what you guys...
want me to do.
Thanks for giving us
that little bit of information
when we're about done.
I don't know
what else to tell 'em.
Thanks for setting us up
for failure, jackass.
That's what they do
to me constantly.
After a series
of constant delays
attempting to get
the mine operational,
the crew's latest setback
could make their 72-hour
deadline out of reach.
We just spent this time
getting this pump set
and soon as we did,
they're saying,
it's probably
not gonna work, so...
I'm not really
sure what's going on,
but we're just wasting time.
We're not working efficiently
and it's starting to add up.
Dude, I'm getting worried that
we're gonna
it up again.
Everyday is a test.
Hey.
Come on in.
- Can I talk to you?
- Heck yeah.
- Grab a chair.
- All right.
What's going on?
I just... I needed
to get your advice.
Yeah.
I mean, you know,
me and my dad's relationship.
You know that we haven't
worked together
well in the past.
- Yeah.
- You know?
I know that, too.
But this year
has just been like...
It's been just super-difficult
to be here and to
work with him.
I think worse than maybe
any other year.
And I don't know why that is.
And we're just
getting started.
But I thought
this would be the year
that he would start
letting go a little bit.
It's hard for your dad
to let go.
I feel
so disrespected.
I don't want to resent
doing things with my dad.
- I would like to have a good
relationship with him.
- Yeah.
I feel like,
I wanna keep mining.
- So--
- I'm glad you do.
That's why I want to ask you,
do you think I should keep
mining, even if I'm not
doing this side-by-side
with my dad?
Why not?
You grew up.
You're your own man.
You gotta cut your own path.
You can take charge right now.
You're not second rate.
You're number one.
I think you know
what you need to do.
- Yeah.
- Okay.
Okay, well freaking... Man.
It's hard not to...
You almost made me cry there. So...
Freak me, Grandpa.
I really appreciate it.
Well, we love you.
- I love you, too.
- Yeah.
You don't have to sweat that.
You know?
Thank goodness.
- Okay.
- Okay.
- All right.
- All right.
Okay.
Okay. I'm gonna
get back out there.
All right.
Hey, I need you to cut
these beams off.
- Okay?
- Okay.
You cut that one right there.
Oh, we're having
a cut-off, I'm loving it.
You go first.
About time, this old dog.
Starting to throw some
metal out of there.
You ready?
Well, who won?
It was pretty dang close.
Whoo! Okay.
Be scientific about it.
Ooh, nice.
Okay, you lost.
You got a half inch
gap on the top.
It's not even square.
Hey, be a good loser.
You did good.
Bring it in, bring it in,
bring it in.
All right, get in here.
It's gonna
be a loss, dude.
Back at
the cleanup room,
after running 300 yards
of dirt
from beneath
the old washplants,
Jack and Jim are nearly
finished with their cleanup.
Well, right now,
this task was maybe an hour.
And we got quite
a bit of gold.
Soon, they'll know
just how much gold
was spilling from The Hot Mess
and Z plant.
It's called
the sound of silence.
The rest
of the team waits
for Jack and Jim's results.
Okay. We ran the dirt
underneath the Z plant.
And we ran the dirt underneath
The Hot Mess.
I think that it was
leaking gold.
Yeah, I mean,
it had holes all over in it.
So, I mean, we know it was
dribbling gold out of holes.
- Well...
- That's less than... my guess.
Why don't you pour it.
See what we got.
Two ounces.
- 3.1.
- 3.1.
It's still an ounce a hundred.
Look how
big that gold is.
That means the holes
were huge.
Despite a less than
a stellar test cleanup
from last season's
scrap paydirt,
the extra money earned
is just enough to keep
the Hoffmans solvent
and focused on
the main objective,
getting The Holy Runner running
and their 1,000 ounce goal.
All right,
so here's the deal.
We're gonna do things right.
We're gonna do
things differently
than what has been
done in this mine.
'Cause we're trying to build
pieces for a future here.
Right?
So, these are some
of the goals I'd like to hit.
600 ounces.
That would break us even,
give or take a couple
hundred grand.
Now, a thousand would be
a hell of a lot better.
The minute we hit a thousand,
we're calling it,
we're getting the hell
out of there.
I don't want these
machines to break.
I don't want
Holy Roller busted.
What I wanna do
is come in,
do what we gotta do,
get out of here before
we break stuff.
Bottom line is...
Everyday we need to be
focusing on the 1,000 ounces.
Whatever we need to do
to keep on track,
that's what we're gonna
have to do.
- Yeah. We got some
paydirt coming in.
- Yup.
- We cut some ground.
- Okay.
Let's get back to work, guys.
All right, thanks.
Let's get it.
In order to reach
their 1,000 ounce goal,
the Hoffmans must average
90 ounces of gold per week
around $140,000.
- I need to talk to you about
something. Right?
- You got it.
Where I'm at is,
I've been doing this with you
for ten years now.
I've always respected you.
I've always worked under you.
I feel like,
the boss-employee relationship
is destroying our
father-son relationship.
And I wanna have a good
relationship with you.
But we don't have a good
working relationship.
And I just don't think
we should be working
with each other.
You think that I'm not proud
of you or something,
I am proud of you.
And I know you feel like
I don't respect you
or this, that and the other,
and you know what?
I feel bad about that.
Do you know I love you. Right?
It's not about love.
You know, ever since
I've been little,
all I wanted is to be
included, have my own plant.
And I've never really
gotten that opportunity.
And I feel like, you never,
like, passing the reigns,
like, passing the torch to me.
And I'm wondering,
when is that time?
When is that gonna come?
I'm basically asking you,
if I can run my own washplant?
Take Cub, Sparky.
Dakota.
Dude, I have barely
got mine setup.
Here's the deal.
The reason why I don't
have a lot of guys
is I can't afford it.
And you know what's
going on in the world.
Fuel's going up.
There's a lot of thing to
consider. Would be hard.
Logistically, I know
it's hard to pull off,
but what I'm thinking is,
we setup two plants
side-by-side,
use the same pond,
they're close together.
We were already gonna be
having the same amount
of guys.
We're having the same
amount of machines
which are gonna be burning
the same amount of fuel.
And we'll get as much yards
to the plants as we can.
I think that this is gonna be
beneficial for the whole team.
I think we're gonna
get a lot of gold
and it all goes into
the same gold total.
I'm not here to get
mediocre gold.
You know, this year,
I wanna win for my dad's sake,
for everybody's sake.
And ultimately,
we're here to make money.
So, I think I'm a huge asset
to the team.
But you know, for me to be
able to help,
I'm gonna have to have some
of this be on my terms.
I'd like to end this summer
with me and you having
a good relationship
and everybody going home
with gold.
Me, too.
More yards we can jam through,
we're gonna catch more gold.
I agree.
But I need to think about this
before I just say yes.
So, all I'm asking is for you
to give me the chance
to prove myself.
You gotta give me a day
to think about it.
Okay.
the Hoffmans faced
the richest...
Yeah,
that's crazy gold.
...but toughest
mine of their career.
Shut it down! Shut it down!
Stop!
I don't think
we're gonna make it.
But they rose
to the challenge...
Come on, baby!
And won.
You guys out there,
did it, man.
Now, they're back
to get the gold.
This year,
I brought a killer crew.
Only the best.
This is almost like,
going to war.
You got your army
and The Holy Roller
is like your tank.
And this season,
the risk...
I am way out
on a limb, financially.
...is all
on Todd's shoulders.
Todd has thrown it
all on the line.
We need a lot of gold.
But there's one
obstacle he didn't see coming.
His son, Hunter.
Me and my Dad has totally
different styles of how
we operate, how we work.
- Cut down.
- Just be quiet.
Let me back drag it.
After years
of clashes...
- He died. I don't know why.
- Why?
...Hunter Hoffman
sets out on his own.
This is my tenth season.
I've always wanted to run
my own plant.
If we have
two plants going,
we have a better chance
of hitting our goal.
All I'm asking is for you
to give me a chance.
I hope you know what
you're getting involved into.
My mind
is already made up.
It's a big gamble.
It's a huge, huge risk.
The Hoffmans
may have finally hit
the motherload.
Look at Tater's hand.
- All gold, man.
- Is that
amazing or what?
This is the richest ground
that I've ever mined on.
Popping nuggets
left and right.
But will this
season tear them apart?
You guys said you will bring
the 650 here.
Don't ever
call me a liar.
'Cause I'll fight you
right out here in this
pay pile.
If we can't do it now,
we're in deep, deep trouble.
And me in financial ruin.
♪ Yeah, come on,
Give it to me ♪
♪ Yes, come on, now,
Give it to me ♪
♪ Yeah, now, come on,
Give it to me ♪
♪ Give it to me ♪
♪ Come on, give it to me ♪
Look at these, guys.
- Wow.
- Holy cow!
That's
a lineup, boys.
I got a lease
for all new equipment.
- Do you see that?
- Yeah.
You said new equipment.
That's insane.
Dude, this sick!
Pow.
Everything has
auto-greasers.
What do you think, Jack?
Oh, my gosh, Todd.
We've never ever
had equipment like this.
New bucket, new teeth,
new cutting edges.
New cab. It's like a new car.
This is crazy.
For ten years...
Hunter, my dad and I,
we've been looking for a mine
that is rich and hasn't been
picked through.
And I think we found it
right here at Mammoth Valley.
We know that
Mammoth Valley mine
is loaded with gold.
- Holy!
- Oh!
Let 'em see that.
- That is gold. What?
- That is crazy!
5.1 ounces per hundred.
Holy great!
It worked out to 70 ounces
per 100 yards.
That's just out of this world.
Last year, we barely
scratched the surface.
This is the type
of drone we've been
looking for.
But now, we're back to finish
what we started.
Okay, what's the plan. Andy!
How are we gonna get across
this freaking river?
That bridge will not hold
these machines.
No.
But we know, last year,
we never would have
made it across.
It's just too deep.
We had a drier year.
The water is as low
as we've ever seen it.
Hopefully, it's low enough.
This is our best opportunity.
I'll jump in the shortest
machine, the 360.
I feel my way across it
and once I get across,
then everybody can just follow
the exact the same route.
Guys, these machines
are like, the best machines
that we've ever
had a chance to run.
And I'm financially on
the hook on these babies,
so let's not stick one out
here in the river
and ruin the dang thing.
Last season was a disaster.
There's a hole
in the slurry line.
It's got a torque
converter overheat issue.
One excavator
has a leaky hose.
Massive oil leak.
You can't open the door.
The fuel truck
blew the engine.
This tire is junk. No good.
All the equipment
broke down.
It doesn't have enough
hydraulic power
to pull itself out.
Lot of smoke.
We actually spent
more time repairing it
than running it.
We're gonna be working
around the clock.
Not this year.
To succeed up here,
you cannot have breakdowns.
Come on, Andy.
Let's fire it up.
Let's bring that 360 out here.
Okay, fire it up.
You have to have
the best equipment
and that's what I paid for.
Look how much lower Andy is
- than a driver in one of those
rock trucks.
- Yeah.
We're gonna bring
Andy out with the 360
which is our shortest machine.
If we don't get these machines
across that river,
we're screwed.
- It is truly sink or swim.
You know?
- Yeah.
Come on, baby.
Andy is poking around,
he's feeling around.
He's looking for the hole,
just to make sure
he's gonna be safe.
Ooh, it's looking
deep already.
Damn, where my bucket is,
it looks like it will be
right at the flipping
top of the house.
Gonna be
really close.
Yeah,
I don't like that.
You're gonna throw water up
into the electronics
and everything else.
Getting deeper.
You're in the house
now, Andy.
Ooh. Uh-oh.
It's getting a lot deeper.
- We better get going.
- Oh, man.
Oh! Holy cow!
I gotta be getting close to
coming up the road.
Careful!
Careful, Andy.
Oh, my God.
Come on. Little further.
Okay, my bucket
is on shallower ground.
Going for it.
Go. Go, go, go, go, go.
We got it. We got it.
Oh, man. I thought
it was going down.
He freakin' made it.
No way.
He did it. He made it across.
Come on, Tater.
Coming through, you guys.
Follow that path, Tater.
Don't veer off of it.
Copy.
I am way out
on a limb, financially.
This mine is in
the Seward Peninsula
of Alaska.
80 miles off of Nome,
so we're completely
off the grid.
Wow, it's getting deep.
So my equipment
and transportation costs
are north of $750,000.
We got 'er.
Labor and fuel costs
are at about $150,000 each.
Ooh, she's getting deep.
I'm look at 600 ounces,
give or take
just to break even.
Hudson's coming through now.
But a good mine
gives you a profit
that you can take home
and it leaves enough gold
to put into next year.
That's our last truck.
So, I'm looking
for thousand ounces of gold
to call this season a win.
Okay,
don't turn yet.
Going through.
We're going through.
It's kinda slipping.
It's slipping.
Hey, that truck is slipping.
Hold up,
hold up. Don't carry it up.
I'll get behind him.
I'll tell you when I'm there.
When you feel me
touch your headache rack,
then you start going. Okay?
Ten-four.
There you go, boys.
That's how it's done, baby.
Nice job.
All right!
Yee-haw! We got her.
Love you, baby.
We did it. We got it.
We're good.
- Nailed it.
- Made it.
This year,
I brought a killer crew.
I need a hug.
- I need a hug.
- We win!
Awesome, man.
Need a pair of underwear.
I brought only the best.
I got my son, Hunter.
I got my son, Cub.
Andy and his son Dakota.
Even Sparky.
And I brought in a couple
of experts, Framer and Tater.
Those guys can run anything
that we have.
Okay, let's get these things
to the mine.
- Yeah.
- And let's get 'em going.
Let's go!
Great job, baby!
Here we are.
Last year, the equipment
was just constantly
breaking down
and Randy just stepped up
and just tried to keep
everything going.
I'm glad that he's back.
It's been a long time.
I'm ready.
It was a tough
seven months.
Knowing what we have here
and waiting to get back here,
it was enough
to drive you crazy.
It's great to be back.
I hate this washplant.
I hated everything
about this washplant.
And then, there were
the washplants last year.
The Z plant was basically
a trainwreck.
It throws its belts off
and then,
we have to shut down
and fix it, obviously.
The hot mess broke down
every other day.
It's a big piece of crap.
Our most reliable plant
was the slowest.
- Get over here.
- The little
test plant.
The whole trommel
just jumped.
But this year,
we have an ace up our sleeve.
Give me a honk.
Yeah!
And that is The Holy Roller.
This is almost like,
going to a war.
You got your army
and this is, like, your tank.
Just you, your tank,
your equipment
against the world. You know?
Can't believe
it's actually here, Todd.
Oh, yeah!
If I'm going to win,
I needed the best washplant
that I ever owned.
But she wasn't cheap.
This is the time that
we're gonna actually find out
what The Holy Roller
is made of.
But we gotta get it
off this truck.
And it's about 50,000 pounds
with this tube in the center.
So, Framer,
what do you think, man?
You hauled it in.
I think four excavators,
one in each corner and...
hope we can pick it up.
It's heavy.
Four excavators.
We gotta work as a team.
One guy screws up,
the thing flips over
and bends a tube,
and then, we're screwed.
- Okay?
- Yeah.
All right, let's go.
Right here, Hunter.
So, people have heard me
claim before,
"Hey, we're on
the best gold ever."
That's one of the best
goldbeds I've seen
in a long time.
We got some big hopes
on this paydirt right here.
Maybe some of the best dirt
we've ever ran.
- It doesn't get
any better than this.
- It doesn't get any better.
- What'd you find?
- The best pad
I've ever had out here.
This is a lot of freaking old.
This ground
is freaking awesome.
- Here we go. Huh?
- Holy frick!
And there's always some reason
why you come up short.
We busted our ass, Todd.
That ground is [bleep].
But we know
that gold is here
right beneath our feet.
We've redesigned
the screen section.
We've redesigned
the sluice boxes
after being around
the paydirt last year
in that clay.
I think we have
the right combination
to actually get all this gold.
I think this is our
secret weapon.
The Holy Roller's
design and size
is the perfect match
for the mine's tough
clay-rich soil.
The spray bar's
80,000 PSI jets push water
and erode nearly
300 yards of paydirt
every hour.
But weighing in at nearly
50,000 pounds,
getting it unloaded
will require their arsenal
of excavators.
- Work together.
- Here we go.
And a steady hand
as one wrong move could damage
which could end their season
before they get started.
Framer, you call it.
All right.
Up in the front. Go ahead.
Nice and easy.
Come on up. Come on up.
Come on up.
Come on up.
Hold that. Holding.
Ah, we got about five...
four-five inches on this side.
Go up about an inch and a half
and see how it looks.
Ready? Come on up.
Come on up. Easy.
Easy.
- Oh.
- All right.
Let's take the back up another
two and a half inches or so.
And then, we'll do the front.
Up on her.
Dakota, more.
Tater, you're low.
Come up.
It's a very tricky pick.
Dakota, you're down.
I'm out on my boom.
Hunter, slow down.
Easy. Easy.
You're good. Right there.
Okay, everybody,
hold up.
Okay. We're off. We're off.
- All right.
- Mikey,
get it out of here.
Drive it!
Go, Mikey. Go.
Easy. Easy.
Good going, Mike. Go!
Go, Mikey. Go!
Am I clear?
Yes, you're clear.
Okay, everybody, go slow.
Bring it down.
Everybody, watch your corners.
Gotta be very careful
with this thing.
This year,
this feels different.
Hold up, Hunter.
Easy. Easy.
I have the best equipment.
I have the best crew.
And if we are truly
on the best gold,
then there's no excuse.
This is it.
If we can't do it now,
we're in deep, deep trouble.
And me in financial ruin.
- Yo.
- Get down.
Yeah! Woo!
Oh, yeah!
Nice work, guys.
Man, we did it.
Good job.
All right,
boys, good job.
This may not seem like a lot
to a lot of people,
but for us to get
The Holy Roller
from where it started
as an idea
to, in the field...
Uh, it's a big deal.
So, for us, it's a win.
And hopefully,
gets a lot of gold.
Now, let's get
this plant running.
Go right.
You're good.
So, while I focus
on The Holy Roller,
to get that thing going,
Andy and the guys are actually
stacking pay from ancient
river channel.
It's about one to two
and half ounces per 100.
Yeah.
And then, Cub and Hunter
are gonna go prospect
a promising site
up there at Atlas Creek.
- Got everything?
- Yup.
I'm back this season.
Part if it is 'cause my
grandpa really wanted
me to come back.
But part of it is,
I still wanna know
what kinda gold is out here.
Still a little bit of mystery.
Here's the deal.
The Dog Creek Valley
is good, but it's...
Nothing compares to this.
That's why I wanna bring
you out here,
I want you to see this stuff.
I've done some
crazy pans over at Atlas.
Right now,
we're standing on Atlas Creek.
There used to be 300 people
living out here.
If they came all the way
out here...
I mean, they were risking
their lives
and if they were
willing to do that,
had to have been a good gold.
I think
it's a ounce a yard.
We all need to come back here
and go find out what's
out there.
This is how I knew,
this was the mine.
And this is why I'm back.
Yeah, this is it, man.
This is crazy.
I'm really glad
to have my little brother
up here.
This is gonna be a chance for
me and him to actually
mine, side-by side.
And I wanted to take Cub
to Alice 'cause
I want him to see where
our future in goldmining
may be.
Isn't this crazy?
- How old is this?
- I don't know, but...
Did you ever see wrenches
that look like this?
No, I have never.
This is the first time
I've been mining,
since I was a kid.
The reason I joined the team
is 'cause I have a wife
and a baby at home
and I want
to provide for them.
Look at this.
Look at this.
You don't want any of this?
I might.
I'm excited for this mine.
I know it's really good gold.
I'm excited to work
with my brother.
This is the type
of stuff these guys
were using in the mine. Okay?
So, if they were getting
enough gold
with something like this,
- it's probably pretty good.
- Yeah.
I had a meeting,
privately with my dad
before this season.
And I made some things
very clear
that were non-negotiable
things for me.
And part of it was me having,
you know,
some more leadership,
more responsibility,
a little bit of say
at what's going on here.
'Cause I've been doing this
every year since I was ten,
so this is all I know.
You know, most kids grew up
playing in summer and...
with their friends
or whatever,
but I was just
running machinery.
So, I feel like I'm an asset
to the team.
I feel like I need
to be listened to
and I'm hoping my dad has what
it takes to succeed this year.
I think he deserves it.
And I think every
single person on this team
deserves the win.
Either way...
there's a lot of stuff
out here which is a good sign.
I've never
wanted to win, ever,
as bad as I do right now.
I'm 100 percent in.
I'd lose a finger
for us to go on a win.
I think grandpa will like
this thing. Isn't it?
- Oh, yeah.
- He'll love it.
I'm gonna give it
100 percent.
And we're gonna go all the way
and see what we can do.
Okay. Let's get out of here.
For eight years,
this mine has been struggling.
Last year, we came in
to help them get to their
break-even point.
But that's not gonna
cut it for us.
We need to take this operation
to profitability.
So, I'm looking for
a thousand ounces this year
or there won't be a next.
Jimmy, you're getting
pretty good in that thing.
Thank you.
So are you.
I'm hoping, we can
at least build for a big,
big future.
You're literally building
the infrastructure, the road.
We're trying to get
the plant setup.
It's gonna be difficult.
First thing on my list...
is pull all these old
washplants out of the way.
Out with the old,
in with the new.
The Z plant
would take months to fix,
so we're taking that
out of operation.
Sixty years old.
Granny should have stopped
shaking a long time ago.
And my nemesis...
The Hot Mess
is a huge
pile of crap
that was leaking gold.
The end of the trommel
where it looks like there's
pay spilling out the end.
This is one place
they're losing gold.
So, we're gonna
pull that off the hill,
but we're gonna find out
how much gold
is right underneath it.
Gonna be tearing
apart the whole Hot Mess.
Trying to get it out of here.
We gotta clear this whole area
to set up our new ponds
and everything else
for the new plant, so...
We can't do anything
until this is gone.
The sooner the team
can get the Hot Mess removed
from the site,
the sooner they can get
The Holy Roller
up and running.
And producing the gold
they desperately need
to combat their startup costs.
Todd has given the team
an ambitious 72-hour deadline
to start processing paydirt.
To get
The Holy Runner running,
we gotta get the Hot Mess out.
We need this gravel
underneath it.
Plus, we just wanna see what
we got here in this paydirt
right underneath it.
What do you wanna
do next?
Trommel.
The whole frame, hopper,
feeder is all welded
to the frame.
- So, it's all coming out
one piece or--
- Good.
Yeah. [bleep] drag it off
the hill. That's what I think.
Hook me up on the front.
Hook it up?
Watch the show, baby.
I would recommend
standing as far back
as possible.
We'll see what happens.
I'm gonna carefully unhook
and maybe,
push it from the back.
No. Can't.
I would not unhook.
Unhook me.
Let's just
keep it simple, man.
Drag it off the hill
in one piece.
It's way less work all of us.
Unhook me!
He's gonna do it
his way.
Man...
This isn't the way I'd do it.
You wanna fire him?
Me and my dad have totally
different styles
of how we operate,
how we work.
Just my opinion.
It's really frustrating when
my dad disregards what I say.
Me and my dad have had pretty
serious issues
working together in the past.
I have my opinions,
he has his.
All I can do is control
what I can control
which is my emotions and...
I'm gonna try
to keep a cool head.
I'm gonna give you, like,
two more minutes
and then, I'm gonna have to
replace you with Hunter. Okay?
Dude, you gotta stop digging
a hole here though.
Seriously. It's making
it worse.
Try what?
Why don't
you to track around
to the other side.
Hook it up and then elevate it
while you track backwards
and just slide it down
the hill.
Okay.
Let's try it.
Right now,
I feel like we're wasting
valuable time.
This should have been
a three-hour project.
It's turned into
an all-day thing.
But right now, we need to get
The Holy Roller put together.
Little things like this add up
and it bites you
at the end of the season.
So, my dad doesn't wanna
listen to me
and actually, it's costing us
a lot of time.
Everybody, heads up.
Is it going at all?
It will go. Just stick up
as you back up.
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
- Keep rolling.
Keep rolling.
- There we go.
Here we go.
It's starting to wiggle
its way out.
You're gonna
hit a tipping point,
and it will start
coming down the hill.
There you go. See?
Wow, look at that.
Keep doing that.
Keep doing it.
Back, track.
Track backwards.
Oh, my God!
Yay!
I'm really hoping
that my dad will listen
to my suggestions this season.
I think it will be
to his own benefit.
I don't really know why
he wouldn't wanna
listen to me.
There we go, good work.
I don't if it's a
father-son pride, ego thing.
Okay.
Go and set her down.
Okay,
let's disconnect.
But hopefully,
it's not to his downfall.
With The Hot Mess
now out of the way,
the Hoffmans are ready
to turn their focus
on The Holy Roller.
Are you ready?
Can we bolt this now?
I'm just gonna
hook it for him.
Let him bang it in there.
We'll just try to get
bolts in it.
We're just trying to get
all the sluice pieces
bolted together.
Everything in mining,
it's all kinda, like, rough
and kinda rudimentary,
but once you get down
to the sluice box,
it's a fine science to
make sure that
it's working right.
But we've installed tons
of sluice boxes at this point.
Hold that corner.
We gotta get it just right.
That is perfect there.
So, should
go together with no issues.
The Holy Roller
is at a critical phase.
The Hoffmans are installing
the sluice in five pieces.
Each must align and maintain
a consistent fall
or the gold won't be trapped.
Did you wanna wire wheel that
or not or do anything?
I wouldn't.
- No?
- I don't know why.
Gonna bolt 'em together really
tight and caulk it again
at the top, so...
So, I'm gonna throw
a little silicone in here.
Get a little bit more
of a seal just to
prevent any leaks.
'Cause overtime it will erode
underneath your sluice box.
Get it unlevel and then you're
not catching gold as good.
I think, last year the plants
were only recovering
50 percent.
You know, we know
there's good pay here
and it's just
wasteful, honestly.
So, this year, you know,
we like to get our boxes
where we can recover
90 percent or more.
So, that's what
we're hoping for.
Make sure there's no
extra room underneath
the sluice box.
Most crucial to
a well-operating sluice box
is the angle of descent.
The team needs
the box to slope
two inches per foot of fall.
I think we're gonna have to
dig it out a little bit.
I told him, they've done this
like this before.
Three inches.
We gotta come up on this end.
And it was wrong.
And then, we do it again.
Todd's issue here
is that the ground layer
where the box will go
has not been
sufficiently prepared.
It will need to be
the perfect depth
and rigged properly
in order for water
to flow through
the sluice box correctly.
You don't dig
the ground out
where it's like a freaking
perfect foundation
under the sluice box.
I like to crib it
where you put it on legs
and you bring it up
to where you want it.
Yup.
How much do you think
we need to dig it out?
Three, four inches or...
The diverter box
needs to go down six inches
right now to be
at two inches per foot.
So, probably a foot.
Yup, ten-four.
Let's slide it
back out and let's take it
and set it up there by
that other nugget trap.
The amount
of material going down
the box,
the water, the angle,
everything is extremely
crucial to how much gold
you're gonna actually catch.
They always wanna
talk about efficiency
and they do everything where
it takes you three-four tries.
If we do [bleep] like this
all season,
we deserve to get no gold.
Another of
the mine's most
important sites
is almost up and running.
Jack's goldroom.
I'm the gold
cleaner-upper.
This is my goldroom,
this is my equipment.
I got, kinda
setup last year.
I fine-tuned it a little bit
more this year.
And I'm ready
to rock and roll.
Just adjusted the water.
Getting ready to fire that up.
Thurber has been
my longest
running friend
in this goldroom.
What it's doing is pushing up
water pressure.
I've spent more time with
the Hoffman family than my own
in the last 14 years.
Maybe I need a special award
for that, I don't know.
Obviously, there's good times,
there's horrible times.
I always joke
that it's Todd's dream
and it's our nightmare.
Let's put these in here.
I created this situation
that we're in.
I started the mining,
I started the...
the family.
I started all that.
So, it is my responsibility.
Dad! Why are you trying
to make another road out here?
I'm not! I'm just
trying to get rid
- of this material.
- I don't understand
your master plan.
We mined in the Yukon.
We mined in a jungle.
We've mined a lot
of different places.
Gotta get some pay.
We've had so many times where
we just didn't come up
to the mark.
You are freaking
kidding me!
Just leave me alone.
But I am so looking forward
to this season.
Todd has thrown
it all on line.
So, having said that,
we need a lot of gold.
After a failed
attempt at positioning
The Holy Roller's sluice box,
Todd has decided to dig out
a foot of earth
and adjust the grade
of their foundation
in order for the slope
to be perfect.
I'm excited
for The Holy Roller
to be up and running
and we'll see what happens
once I get this setup
and get everything level.
I can't believe
this is taking us all day.
Hey, we gotta set it, flip it.
Got a bolt.
Now, one more
bolt over there.
Look at this guy.
You know what would
be nice right now?
If we had a time for a nap.
That would be nice, right?
Hey.
So lucky.
It's kinda fun
working with him,
but it's also hard because
we argue and fight a lot
on these types of things.
So, he got his ideas,
I got mine,
so it's bittersweet.
It's fun at one point,
but also sometimes,
we get into spats. You know?
Come down a bit.
Down.
To get
The Holy Roller sluice box
up and running,
Todd, Hunter and Framer
are working
to lock in each panel.
It's a process that involves
big objects
and little room
for forgiveness.
Communication is paramount
to success.
Right.
Hold up, boom down.
- Boom down.
- Sticks out.
If he booms down,
it should come to us.
- How much you need?
- A lot more.
Down.
Come down
a little bit.
Down little bit.
- Why does he keep picking up?
- That's more up. I don't know.
I don't know.
He just is, like, whatever
the [bleep] he thinks.
No. He's...
What are you doing?
You're hitting the bolt.
What... What's going on?
I've said things
to you for days
and you completely
disregard everything I said.
Okay, then be
respectful. Knock it off.
[bleep] I'm leaving.
I don't even wanna
be a part of this.
I can't do this anymore.
I've said things
to you for days
and you completely
disregard everything I said.
Okay, then be
respectful. Knock it off.
[bleep] I'm leaving.
I don't even wanna
be a part of this.
I can't do this anymore.
It's extremely frustrating
working with my dad.
He's just beating up
his own washplant.
Beating up his own sluice box.
Which we only have one of.
So, it doesn't really
make sense to me.
That's the way he wants
to do it...
then, that's the way
it's gonna be, I guess.
All right. There you go.
Come on up.
Keep coming.
Keep coming.
There you go.
Framer. Check the fall
on the box. We might be good.
Styled, dialed
and profiled right there.
I don't know
where Hunter went.
But we're good. We're done.
Honestly, I'm just,
I'm frustrated because
my dad's kinda just
brushing me to the side,
not listening to me.
You know, we're not gonna be
successful if this continues,
so I need to talk
to my dad and Andy,
otherwise it's gonna hurt
all of us.
Andy Spinks
is my right-hand guy.
And, you know, Hunter's mined,
but he's never mined
like Andy.
Okay, what's on the plan?
Certain people
aren't being listened to.
We all need to throw in
our ideas in the hat.
I don't think you listened
to me one time
since we've been here
when we're working together.
And then you're like,
"Why do you have
a bad attitude?"
If you have this
disrespectful attitude,
there's gonna be
a cancer in the camp.
And I don't want that
cancer to start with you
and your attitude.
You can say, I'm starting
a cancer in the camp,
but I can say the same thing.
- 'Cause I don't think
you listen--
- Maybe I don't listen,
but one thing you'll never,
nobody will ever accuse
me of...
is being a cancer.
Because everyday I get up
and I'm positive.
I'm not a negative person.
So, there's
a difference between
the negativity
and then me expressing
that I think that this
is the wrong way to do it.
Or that... You know
what I mean?
Despite how you feel
about what I know,
there is things I do know.
And there's things where
I'm like this is the wrong way
to do it.
And we've already this year,
repeated some mistakes
from the past
and that's why
I get frustrated.
Because I know that we don't
have other shots at this.
So, what's your point?
I don't know anything about
being a father. Right?
But me looking at 'em, like,
I would put my kids
in those positions
and then they would grow
into it and they would learn.
And then after a couple
of weeks or a season,
they're at that level.
You know, give us young guys
little bit of area
to freaking grow into these
shows you want us to fill.
You gotta give us a little bit
of room to fly.
Sometimes I feel like,
when I was 14,
I was given more
responsibilities than
I do now.
And that's where I'm like,
"Why is that?"
I don't think that I'm gonna
go out here and do
everything perfectly.
But if I don't even get
a chance to do it,
that's how... I'm never
gonna learn.
Okay.
You're gonna get
more responsibility.
You gotta show up.
Because I'm gonna
call you on it if not.
And he's gonna call you on it.
You guys should be thinking,
"How can we utilize these guys
the best?"
Hey, don't push it.
- That's it.
- What do you mean,
don't push it?
- If you don't want me here,
just say that.
- Did I say that?
- No.
- Okay.
- All of us want you--
- I feel though
you're a little volatile
and I need you to be
- more of a team player.
- It's 'cause I'm passionate
about what we're doing.
I want all of us to win.
You gotta be more level
on this stuff.
So, when you
take responsibility,
you gotta have big shoulders.
Just know that moving forward.
Can you do it? Yeah, I think
you can do it. 100 percent.
But with the responsibility
comes the burden
of crap coming your way.
I think Hunter
is super-talented.
But there's things
that he doesn't know
that he thinks he knows.
But you don't find that out
without doing it.
Well, here's what
I want you to do.
Go with Thurber
and get that pump.
And I want you to
pump that lake out.
I would set it
and pump through
the culvert
that we just put in.
Pump in from this end
over the circuit.
- Yeah.
- Yeah, let's do that.
- All right.
- Just one thing
at a time.
- We'll just
knock 'em out together.
- Okay.
Help your fat dad up.
Let's go.
You know,
I hope my dad is genuine
when he says
he's gonna clue me in.
And he either is or he isn't.
But I think, for his benefit,
I would include me.
Or it's gonna be another one
of those seasons
where we came up short, so...
we'll see what happens.
You want
to just set it.
And then, have 'em come in
and dig a place for
the suctions.
Yeah, I don't know how long
the suction line is.
But we gotta
actually put the tongue
towards you,
so that discharge
goes out the culvert.
Yeah, ten-four.
Todd's tasked
Hunter with setting up
the Barco pump,
which will draw water
from the large pond
through the culvert
and up to The Holy Roller,
filling what's called
the water circuit.
That pump
we got last year...
And it's pretty awesome.
It has dual 12-inch
suctions on it,
so it pumps a lot of water.
If they can fill up
the water circuit,
they'll know they have
enough water on hand
to keep The Holy Roller
operating this season.
I don't think
we have enough water.
Hopefully, we do.
We'll pump in to see
where we're at.
Hopefully, it fills
the circuit
and then we can run it.
- This will work.
- You think that won't
disappear too much?
I think she'll hold.
Sitting now.
Hey, Hunter,
do you copy?
Yeah, go ahead.
Why do you tell me to
do it like this?
By pumping
into the bottom
of the water circuit,
the slope of the culvert
will fight any attempt
Hunter and Thurber
make to fill it to the top.
Just another step.
You do the wrong step,
you'll have to undo
a bunch of steps
and start over,
so it's a lot of work.
You gotta get water to it.
You gotta get power to it.
You gotta...
Yeah, there's just a ton
of work to be done. So...
I was just doing
what you guys...
want me to do.
Thanks for giving us
that little bit of information
when we're about done.
I don't know
what else to tell 'em.
Thanks for setting us up
for failure, jackass.
That's what they do
to me constantly.
After a series
of constant delays
attempting to get
the mine operational,
the crew's latest setback
could make their 72-hour
deadline out of reach.
We just spent this time
getting this pump set
and soon as we did,
they're saying,
it's probably
not gonna work, so...
I'm not really
sure what's going on,
but we're just wasting time.
We're not working efficiently
and it's starting to add up.
Dude, I'm getting worried that
we're gonna
it up again.
Everyday is a test.
Hey.
Come on in.
- Can I talk to you?
- Heck yeah.
- Grab a chair.
- All right.
What's going on?
I just... I needed
to get your advice.
Yeah.
I mean, you know,
me and my dad's relationship.
You know that we haven't
worked together
well in the past.
- Yeah.
- You know?
I know that, too.
But this year
has just been like...
It's been just super-difficult
to be here and to
work with him.
I think worse than maybe
any other year.
And I don't know why that is.
And we're just
getting started.
But I thought
this would be the year
that he would start
letting go a little bit.
It's hard for your dad
to let go.
I feel
so disrespected.
I don't want to resent
doing things with my dad.
- I would like to have a good
relationship with him.
- Yeah.
I feel like,
I wanna keep mining.
- So--
- I'm glad you do.
That's why I want to ask you,
do you think I should keep
mining, even if I'm not
doing this side-by-side
with my dad?
Why not?
You grew up.
You're your own man.
You gotta cut your own path.
You can take charge right now.
You're not second rate.
You're number one.
I think you know
what you need to do.
- Yeah.
- Okay.
Okay, well freaking... Man.
It's hard not to...
You almost made me cry there. So...
Freak me, Grandpa.
I really appreciate it.
Well, we love you.
- I love you, too.
- Yeah.
You don't have to sweat that.
You know?
Thank goodness.
- Okay.
- Okay.
- All right.
- All right.
Okay.
Okay. I'm gonna
get back out there.
All right.
Hey, I need you to cut
these beams off.
- Okay?
- Okay.
You cut that one right there.
Oh, we're having
a cut-off, I'm loving it.
You go first.
About time, this old dog.
Starting to throw some
metal out of there.
You ready?
Well, who won?
It was pretty dang close.
Whoo! Okay.
Be scientific about it.
Ooh, nice.
Okay, you lost.
You got a half inch
gap on the top.
It's not even square.
Hey, be a good loser.
You did good.
Bring it in, bring it in,
bring it in.
All right, get in here.
It's gonna
be a loss, dude.
Back at
the cleanup room,
after running 300 yards
of dirt
from beneath
the old washplants,
Jack and Jim are nearly
finished with their cleanup.
Well, right now,
this task was maybe an hour.
And we got quite
a bit of gold.
Soon, they'll know
just how much gold
was spilling from The Hot Mess
and Z plant.
It's called
the sound of silence.
The rest
of the team waits
for Jack and Jim's results.
Okay. We ran the dirt
underneath the Z plant.
And we ran the dirt underneath
The Hot Mess.
I think that it was
leaking gold.
Yeah, I mean,
it had holes all over in it.
So, I mean, we know it was
dribbling gold out of holes.
- Well...
- That's less than... my guess.
Why don't you pour it.
See what we got.
Two ounces.
- 3.1.
- 3.1.
It's still an ounce a hundred.
Look how
big that gold is.
That means the holes
were huge.
Despite a less than
a stellar test cleanup
from last season's
scrap paydirt,
the extra money earned
is just enough to keep
the Hoffmans solvent
and focused on
the main objective,
getting The Holy Runner running
and their 1,000 ounce goal.
All right,
so here's the deal.
We're gonna do things right.
We're gonna do
things differently
than what has been
done in this mine.
'Cause we're trying to build
pieces for a future here.
Right?
So, these are some
of the goals I'd like to hit.
600 ounces.
That would break us even,
give or take a couple
hundred grand.
Now, a thousand would be
a hell of a lot better.
The minute we hit a thousand,
we're calling it,
we're getting the hell
out of there.
I don't want these
machines to break.
I don't want
Holy Roller busted.
What I wanna do
is come in,
do what we gotta do,
get out of here before
we break stuff.
Bottom line is...
Everyday we need to be
focusing on the 1,000 ounces.
Whatever we need to do
to keep on track,
that's what we're gonna
have to do.
- Yeah. We got some
paydirt coming in.
- Yup.
- We cut some ground.
- Okay.
Let's get back to work, guys.
All right, thanks.
Let's get it.
In order to reach
their 1,000 ounce goal,
the Hoffmans must average
90 ounces of gold per week
around $140,000.
- I need to talk to you about
something. Right?
- You got it.
Where I'm at is,
I've been doing this with you
for ten years now.
I've always respected you.
I've always worked under you.
I feel like,
the boss-employee relationship
is destroying our
father-son relationship.
And I wanna have a good
relationship with you.
But we don't have a good
working relationship.
And I just don't think
we should be working
with each other.
You think that I'm not proud
of you or something,
I am proud of you.
And I know you feel like
I don't respect you
or this, that and the other,
and you know what?
I feel bad about that.
Do you know I love you. Right?
It's not about love.
You know, ever since
I've been little,
all I wanted is to be
included, have my own plant.
And I've never really
gotten that opportunity.
And I feel like, you never,
like, passing the reigns,
like, passing the torch to me.
And I'm wondering,
when is that time?
When is that gonna come?
I'm basically asking you,
if I can run my own washplant?
Take Cub, Sparky.
Dakota.
Dude, I have barely
got mine setup.
Here's the deal.
The reason why I don't
have a lot of guys
is I can't afford it.
And you know what's
going on in the world.
Fuel's going up.
There's a lot of thing to
consider. Would be hard.
Logistically, I know
it's hard to pull off,
but what I'm thinking is,
we setup two plants
side-by-side,
use the same pond,
they're close together.
We were already gonna be
having the same amount
of guys.
We're having the same
amount of machines
which are gonna be burning
the same amount of fuel.
And we'll get as much yards
to the plants as we can.
I think that this is gonna be
beneficial for the whole team.
I think we're gonna
get a lot of gold
and it all goes into
the same gold total.
I'm not here to get
mediocre gold.
You know, this year,
I wanna win for my dad's sake,
for everybody's sake.
And ultimately,
we're here to make money.
So, I think I'm a huge asset
to the team.
But you know, for me to be
able to help,
I'm gonna have to have some
of this be on my terms.
I'd like to end this summer
with me and you having
a good relationship
and everybody going home
with gold.
Me, too.
More yards we can jam through,
we're gonna catch more gold.
I agree.
But I need to think about this
before I just say yes.
So, all I'm asking is for you
to give me the chance
to prove myself.
You gotta give me a day
to think about it.
Okay.