"Gold Rush" The Man in the Gold Room

1 00:00:10,500 --> 00:00:14,360 Come mid-March, I start thinking about coming home. 2 00:00:14,360 --> 00:00:16,260 This is home. 3 00:00:16,260 --> 00:00:19,260 I spend the most of my year up here. 4 00:00:20,660 --> 00:00:24,560 I don't have gold fever, but I have mining fever, 5 00:00:24,560 --> 00:00:27,860 because I absolutely love what I do. 6 00:00:33,360 --> 00:00:36,760 Hi, my name's Doumitt, and I'm a mineaholic. 7 00:00:37,900 --> 00:00:40,190 [narrator] On this old Rush... 8 00:00:40,200 --> 00:00:42,860 This thing weighs a ton, must be full of gold, 9 00:00:42,860 --> 00:00:46,760 [narrator] Chris Doumitt reveals his unlikely journey... 10 00:00:46,760 --> 00:00:49,090 Who would not want to go to Alaska? 11 00:00:49,100 --> 00:00:51,160 [narrator] From carpenter... 12 00:00:51,160 --> 00:00:53,890 [Chris] I knew nothing about gold mining-- 13 00:00:53,900 --> 00:00:55,890 [narrator] ...to gold cleaning guru. 14 00:00:55,900 --> 00:00:58,460 [Parker] There's some great gold in here. Thanks, Chris. 15 00:00:58,460 --> 00:01:01,990 [Chris] You have now exceeded 50,000 ounces of gold. 16 00:01:02,000 --> 00:01:03,400 [Parker] You've cleaned a lot of gold down here. 17 00:01:04,900 --> 00:01:06,260 [all cheer] 18 00:01:06,260 --> 00:01:08,690 I finally realized that's my niche in life. 19 00:01:08,700 --> 00:01:11,260 [narrator] And he gives new insight... 20 00:01:11,260 --> 00:01:12,660 It's going to take hours-- 21 00:01:12,660 --> 00:01:14,260 Just frickin' do it, okay? 22 00:01:14,260 --> 00:01:16,760 [narrator] On his relationships with the Klondike's 23 00:01:16,760 --> 00:01:18,860 most notorious miners. 24 00:01:18,860 --> 00:01:20,860 Look, you don't want to waste your [bleep] time. 25 00:01:20,860 --> 00:01:22,490 It's my [bleep] time to waste. 26 00:01:22,500 --> 00:01:24,460 End of conversation. End of conversation. 27 00:01:24,460 --> 00:01:26,190 Parker's probably one of the worst people 28 00:01:26,200 --> 00:01:28,260 I ever worked for in my life. 29 00:01:30,000 --> 00:01:36,074 30 00:01:42,860 --> 00:01:44,000 We're going to do a cleanup. 31 00:01:46,160 --> 00:01:48,700 Kind of excited, really, to see what's in here. 32 00:01:51,160 --> 00:01:53,060 [narrator] After a week of sluicing... 33 00:01:53,060 --> 00:01:55,760 Yeah, let's pluck those rubbers off and see what we got. 34 00:01:55,760 --> 00:01:58,460 [narrator] The Schnabel crew clean out the gold. 35 00:02:00,200 --> 00:02:03,060 And there's no one better to take charge... 36 00:02:03,060 --> 00:02:06,990 [Chris] We have gold puddle after gold puddle after gold puddle. 37 00:02:07,000 --> 00:02:08,760 [narrator] ...than Chris Doumitt. 38 00:02:09,800 --> 00:02:11,660 [Chris] There should be four mats in there. 39 00:02:15,760 --> 00:02:17,560 Let me get these tanks drained out, 40 00:02:17,560 --> 00:02:18,560 head back to the gold room, 41 00:02:18,560 --> 00:02:20,360 and start processing this stuff. 42 00:02:24,500 --> 00:02:25,690 It's been a wild ride. 43 00:02:25,700 --> 00:02:28,660 It's been an incredible life experience. 44 00:02:28,660 --> 00:02:32,100 I just wish I was 30 years younger when I started. 45 00:02:33,000 --> 00:02:36,290 [narrator] Now, a mining veteran of 15 years 46 00:02:36,300 --> 00:02:39,260 and Parker Schnabel's right hand man. 47 00:02:39,260 --> 00:02:40,160 How'd I get here? 48 00:02:40,160 --> 00:02:41,390 Is that what you're asking? 49 00:02:41,400 --> 00:02:43,460 At the wrong place at the wrong time 50 00:02:43,460 --> 00:02:45,360 is what happened. [laughs] 51 00:02:45,360 --> 00:02:51,490 [narrator] Chris's journey to the gold fields starts in 1951. 52 00:02:51,500 --> 00:02:52,860 [Chris] I was born in Portland, Oregon. 53 00:02:52,860 --> 00:02:57,490 I was, uh, kind of a problem child, you might say. 54 00:02:57,500 --> 00:02:59,390 I was called incorrigible. 55 00:02:59,400 --> 00:03:02,300 And because of that, I ended up in a foster home 56 00:03:03,360 --> 00:03:05,760 for about seven years, from 10 to 17. 57 00:03:06,760 --> 00:03:08,660 Actually, that's where I learned work ethic, 58 00:03:08,660 --> 00:03:10,860 because it was a produce farm, farmers. 59 00:03:10,860 --> 00:03:12,160 And that's all you do is work. 60 00:03:13,660 --> 00:03:15,760 [narrator] After graduating from high school, 61 00:03:16,660 --> 00:03:18,560 Chris finds his calling. 62 00:03:18,560 --> 00:03:19,960 [Chris] I was a carpenter. 63 00:03:19,960 --> 00:03:21,760 I was a furniture maker. 64 00:03:21,760 --> 00:03:26,200 I was a cabinet maker, cutting up wood and making stuff. 65 00:03:28,060 --> 00:03:31,260 Sharon and I were married in 1971. 66 00:03:31,260 --> 00:03:33,460 We spent six years getting to know each other 67 00:03:33,460 --> 00:03:36,790 and then started a family, raised them in Oregon. 68 00:03:36,800 --> 00:03:38,000 It was great. 69 00:03:39,000 --> 00:03:41,360 At 58, I was retired. 70 00:03:41,360 --> 00:03:43,660 I'd been retired for three years. 71 00:03:43,660 --> 00:03:46,690 And I was fishing and golfing with my buddies. 72 00:03:46,700 --> 00:03:51,290 [narrator] But in 2010, Chris gets a call from an old buddy 73 00:03:51,300 --> 00:03:53,690 that changes everything. 74 00:03:53,700 --> 00:03:56,090 [Chris] Greg Remsburg asked me if I'd come to Alaska with him 75 00:03:56,100 --> 00:03:58,000 and build a cabin for his family. 76 00:04:00,260 --> 00:04:03,360 [narrator] Greg Remsburg is part of a group of guys 77 00:04:03,360 --> 00:04:06,600 hit hard by the 2008 financial crisis. 78 00:04:07,660 --> 00:04:09,160 [Jack] You're all millionaires. 79 00:04:09,160 --> 00:04:11,660 The only thing is, you've got to get it out of the ground. 80 00:04:11,660 --> 00:04:13,260 -[all laugh] -You know? 81 00:04:13,260 --> 00:04:15,300 [narrator] Led by Todd Hoffman. 82 00:04:15,860 --> 00:04:16,830 Good job, buddy. 83 00:04:16,830 --> 00:04:18,790 [narrator] They're seeking their fortunes, 84 00:04:18,800 --> 00:04:22,360 mining for gold deep in the Alaskan wilderness. 85 00:04:23,660 --> 00:04:25,160 [Chris] I'm an outdoorsman, right? 86 00:04:25,160 --> 00:04:28,490 I love the mountains, the trees, the snow caps, 87 00:04:28,500 --> 00:04:30,660 the rivers, the eagles, the fish. 88 00:04:31,760 --> 00:04:34,800 Who would not want to go to Alaska? 89 00:04:35,760 --> 00:04:37,290 Build a cabin. 90 00:04:37,300 --> 00:04:40,160 10 days later, come home. 91 00:04:40,160 --> 00:04:43,360 But we were having a hard time getting materials. 92 00:04:43,360 --> 00:04:45,560 And I can't sit still. 93 00:04:45,560 --> 00:04:48,660 So I'd help out where I could with the Hoffmans 94 00:04:48,660 --> 00:04:50,160 and the mining process. 95 00:04:50,160 --> 00:04:51,460 [Todd] Hey, welcome to the team. 96 00:04:51,460 --> 00:04:52,390 [Chris] Thanks. 97 00:04:52,400 --> 00:04:54,160 I appreciate it. This is going to be a riot. 98 00:04:58,860 --> 00:05:01,090 [Jack] Turn it on... 99 00:05:01,100 --> 00:05:03,690 [Chris] You know, these guys are investing everything they have. 100 00:05:03,700 --> 00:05:06,490 But I think they're pursuing the great American dream 101 00:05:06,500 --> 00:05:08,100 that we've lost sight of. 102 00:05:10,060 --> 00:05:12,600 And to be involved in that, what a thrill. 103 00:05:14,300 --> 00:05:16,760 Todd asked me if I could run a loader. 104 00:05:16,760 --> 00:05:18,460 I said, sure. 105 00:05:18,460 --> 00:05:19,860 I went and I found Greg Remsburg. 106 00:05:19,860 --> 00:05:23,460 I said, "Greg, what's a loader?" 107 00:05:24,660 --> 00:05:26,960 I didn't know anything about mining. 108 00:05:26,960 --> 00:05:29,860 But I quickly learned 109 00:05:29,860 --> 00:05:31,760 that they didn't know that much either. 110 00:05:34,060 --> 00:05:36,000 It was the blind leading the blind. 111 00:05:37,760 --> 00:05:39,360 [Todd] I wouldn't get near it, Chris. 112 00:05:39,360 --> 00:05:41,090 Just let it go, kind of. 113 00:05:41,100 --> 00:05:43,590 [Parker] Don't let that baby come down on you. 114 00:05:43,600 --> 00:05:45,860 We're going to take this to a tray we have up here 115 00:05:45,860 --> 00:05:50,000 with soapy water in it to help release all the gold. 116 00:05:50,900 --> 00:05:52,860 I think with what this thing holds, 117 00:05:52,860 --> 00:05:55,100 it could take you for a ride, you know? 118 00:05:57,000 --> 00:06:00,560 [narrator] Chris pitches in wherever he can. 119 00:06:00,560 --> 00:06:03,490 This thing weighs a ton. It must be full of gold. 120 00:06:03,500 --> 00:06:05,990 [narrator] But Todd's inexperienced crew 121 00:06:06,000 --> 00:06:08,160 struggle to bring in the gold. 122 00:06:08,160 --> 00:06:09,930 Two-point-seven ounces. 123 00:06:12,360 --> 00:06:16,190 [narrator] And after three months, the cracks begin to show. 124 00:06:16,200 --> 00:06:17,700 I'm coming apart up here. 125 00:06:18,800 --> 00:06:20,090 I've been here for three months, man, 126 00:06:20,100 --> 00:06:21,260 and ain't [bleep] money. 127 00:06:21,260 --> 00:06:22,460 You and I, you want to do it? 128 00:06:22,460 --> 00:06:23,530 We'll [bleep] do it. 129 00:06:23,530 --> 00:06:25,660 And then you'll learn to shut your [bleep] mouth. 130 00:06:26,560 --> 00:06:29,000 Being with the Hoffmans was a challenging time. 131 00:06:29,560 --> 00:06:30,860 Come on, dude. Don't get-- 132 00:06:30,860 --> 00:06:32,100 [Parker] Get off! 133 00:06:33,160 --> 00:06:35,000 Back up. Just back off a little bit. 134 00:06:36,400 --> 00:06:38,860 There was a lack of proper leadership. 135 00:06:38,860 --> 00:06:40,490 You take it out, put it back in. 136 00:06:40,500 --> 00:06:42,460 -And go. -Go put it in yourself. 137 00:06:42,460 --> 00:06:43,960 You took it out. 138 00:06:43,960 --> 00:06:46,760 Todd and I really, I don't... 139 00:06:46,760 --> 00:06:49,260 We get along real well. 140 00:06:49,260 --> 00:06:51,890 I don't think we work well together. 141 00:06:51,900 --> 00:06:53,260 It's going to take hours. 142 00:06:53,260 --> 00:06:55,690 Just frickin' do it, okay? 143 00:06:55,700 --> 00:06:58,160 Todd was one of the guys who goes, "We need to open a cut. 144 00:06:58,160 --> 00:07:00,760 You guys go take care of it," and walk away. 145 00:07:02,400 --> 00:07:03,590 It's hard to follow someone 146 00:07:03,600 --> 00:07:05,360 when they're going the wrong direction. 147 00:07:05,360 --> 00:07:07,790 Where in the hell is everybody? 148 00:07:07,800 --> 00:07:10,560 Well, I don't know. It's just me, you, and Thurber here. 149 00:07:10,560 --> 00:07:12,460 It was just, uh... 150 00:07:12,460 --> 00:07:13,860 I didn't want to say this... 151 00:07:14,700 --> 00:07:16,890 A clash on how things should be done 152 00:07:16,900 --> 00:07:19,790 and why isn't everybody working? 153 00:07:19,800 --> 00:07:22,760 Why isn't everybody pulling the same weight? 154 00:07:22,760 --> 00:07:24,090 The way I was raised, 155 00:07:24,100 --> 00:07:26,260 you do your work and you go play later. 156 00:07:27,160 --> 00:07:28,160 And you're our main man. 157 00:07:28,160 --> 00:07:29,760 You're our go-to guy. 158 00:07:30,900 --> 00:07:33,460 And you weren't there to go to. 159 00:07:33,460 --> 00:07:36,460 And I think that was a frustrating part. 160 00:07:36,460 --> 00:07:38,700 I'm tired of excuses. 161 00:07:40,360 --> 00:07:43,160 And that's it in a nutshell. 162 00:07:43,160 --> 00:07:46,760 Super brief summary, the first season was disastrous. 163 00:07:48,860 --> 00:07:51,090 I was not part of the original six. 164 00:07:51,100 --> 00:07:52,790 I wasn't one of the friends. 165 00:07:52,800 --> 00:07:54,960 I wasn't part of the clique. 166 00:07:54,960 --> 00:07:56,400 I had a different work ethic. 167 00:07:57,700 --> 00:08:01,260 But I really wanted to see the Hoffmans be successful. 168 00:08:01,260 --> 00:08:03,060 That's why I stuck out that year. 169 00:08:03,900 --> 00:08:05,590 When you take that last little swish 170 00:08:05,600 --> 00:08:07,460 and a layer of black sand, 171 00:08:07,460 --> 00:08:11,360 it floats off, and it leaves that gold in the pan. 172 00:08:11,360 --> 00:08:13,360 -[man] Good lord. -[laughs] 173 00:08:13,360 --> 00:08:15,090 That's a rush. It really is. 174 00:08:15,100 --> 00:08:17,430 -Yeah! -Oh! 175 00:08:19,900 --> 00:08:21,960 [narrator] Chris and the Hoffman crew gather 176 00:08:21,960 --> 00:08:25,260 for the final gold way of their first season. 177 00:08:26,360 --> 00:08:30,190 There's 14.64 ounces here. 178 00:08:30,200 --> 00:08:33,160 -[crew cheering] -[narrator] Worth $20,000. 179 00:08:33,160 --> 00:08:35,360 -[man 1] Let's do it again! -[man 2] Whoo! 180 00:08:35,360 --> 00:08:39,360 That is what motivated us all to come back the next year. 181 00:08:41,460 --> 00:08:43,190 [narrator] In 2011, 182 00:08:43,200 --> 00:08:46,860 the Hoffman's make the bold move to leave Alaska. 183 00:08:48,100 --> 00:08:50,560 [Chris] The second year was a huge step. 184 00:08:50,560 --> 00:08:53,290 We came to the Yukon territory. 185 00:08:53,300 --> 00:08:55,090 We came up to Dawson City, where... 186 00:08:55,100 --> 00:08:56,990 That's where the big boys played. 187 00:08:57,000 --> 00:08:58,160 [Parker] This is it, guys. 188 00:08:58,160 --> 00:08:59,860 This is our claim right here. 189 00:08:59,860 --> 00:09:01,490 [narrator] For their second season, 190 00:09:01,500 --> 00:09:04,260 Todd enlists expert dirt mover, 191 00:09:04,260 --> 00:09:05,690 Dozer Dave Turin. 192 00:09:05,700 --> 00:09:07,360 I need you to come with me. 193 00:09:07,360 --> 00:09:10,760 Dave was more of a hands-on kind of leader. 194 00:09:10,760 --> 00:09:14,060 You say, okay, you guys, we need to open up this cut. 195 00:09:14,060 --> 00:09:17,360 And then you jump on an excavator, you jump on a loader, 196 00:09:17,360 --> 00:09:19,690 I'll jump on a dozer. We go do it. 197 00:09:19,700 --> 00:09:21,860 [Dave] There's gold under this ground. 198 00:09:21,860 --> 00:09:23,200 We just got to dig it up. 199 00:09:25,000 --> 00:09:28,400 The second season was much more encouraging than the first. 200 00:09:30,000 --> 00:09:32,590 [Jack] Ninety three and a half ounces. 201 00:09:32,600 --> 00:09:35,860 [narrator] Worth $150,000. 202 00:09:35,860 --> 00:09:39,390 Seven times more gold than their rookie season. 203 00:09:39,400 --> 00:09:40,760 Now we're miners. 204 00:09:42,500 --> 00:09:47,260 [narrator] In 2012, Todd doubles down for his third season 205 00:09:47,260 --> 00:09:51,660 and goes all in on two separate claims. 206 00:09:51,660 --> 00:09:53,260 So here's the deal, 207 00:09:53,260 --> 00:09:55,560 we're going to have to split up. 208 00:09:57,660 --> 00:10:00,660 [narrator] Todd will run his old Quartz Creek claim, 209 00:10:00,660 --> 00:10:04,160 and Dave will run the new claim at Indian River. 210 00:10:04,160 --> 00:10:07,160 Todd had picked up another wash plant. 211 00:10:07,160 --> 00:10:10,490 He wanted to run two plants, two crews. 212 00:10:10,500 --> 00:10:12,090 He gave us a choice. 213 00:10:12,100 --> 00:10:16,860 We could either work with him or work with Dave. 214 00:10:18,260 --> 00:10:19,630 What do you guys think? 215 00:10:22,100 --> 00:10:23,190 Chris. 216 00:10:23,200 --> 00:10:24,560 I'm up for Indian River. 217 00:10:26,160 --> 00:10:27,790 Yeah, that wasn't really much of a choice. 218 00:10:27,800 --> 00:10:29,490 That was more of a given. 219 00:10:29,500 --> 00:10:30,990 [Dave] We got nine claims. 220 00:10:31,000 --> 00:10:32,990 It's virgin ground. 221 00:10:33,000 --> 00:10:37,800 [Chris] Dave and I have a closer work ethic than Todd and I. 222 00:10:38,860 --> 00:10:41,890 So I'm going to pick the screen, swing it over, 223 00:10:41,900 --> 00:10:45,090 and then I got to walk it in because we don't have a crane. 224 00:10:45,100 --> 00:10:47,560 We had the go-getters, 225 00:10:47,560 --> 00:10:50,460 the guys that just wanted rip and tear 226 00:10:50,460 --> 00:10:52,960 and dig and sluice. 227 00:10:52,960 --> 00:10:54,960 We had Big Red. 228 00:10:54,960 --> 00:11:01,190 [narrator] Costing $250,000, the 180-yard-per-hour shaker plant 229 00:11:01,200 --> 00:11:04,690 has the potential to supersize their operation, 230 00:11:04,700 --> 00:11:07,990 but only if Chris can learn how to run it. 231 00:11:08,000 --> 00:11:09,990 Big Red was in pieces. 232 00:11:10,000 --> 00:11:11,090 [Dave] There you go. 233 00:11:11,100 --> 00:11:12,990 And I'd never seen a screen deck. 234 00:11:13,000 --> 00:11:15,590 [man] Hey, let's get our springs on. 235 00:11:15,600 --> 00:11:18,990 [Chris] I had no idea what it was supposed to look like 236 00:11:19,000 --> 00:11:21,160 or how it even operated. 237 00:11:21,160 --> 00:11:24,860 And I helped Dave put the thing together. 238 00:11:24,860 --> 00:11:25,960 Good. You got it. 239 00:11:25,960 --> 00:11:26,760 All right. 240 00:11:26,760 --> 00:11:28,960 Looks like a wash plant, doesn't it? 241 00:11:30,000 --> 00:11:31,260 Get the plant running. 242 00:11:32,260 --> 00:11:37,360 I learned to run Big Red and make it operate 243 00:11:37,360 --> 00:11:39,160 with the problems it had. 244 00:11:41,460 --> 00:11:44,560 I figured out how to avoid these problems 245 00:11:44,560 --> 00:11:47,000 or to work around them. 246 00:11:48,560 --> 00:11:51,960 One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight. 247 00:11:52,760 --> 00:11:53,860 [Dave] Twenty nine! 248 00:11:53,860 --> 00:11:56,260 There it is! We're over 30. 249 00:11:56,260 --> 00:11:58,260 -Whoo! Yeah! -[crew cheers] 250 00:11:58,660 --> 00:12:00,260 [Dave] Nice job! 251 00:12:00,260 --> 00:12:03,260 -[Jack] We got 81 ounces. -Oh, yeah. 252 00:12:03,260 --> 00:12:07,260 [Jack] We've got a grand total of 803 right now. 253 00:12:07,260 --> 00:12:09,360 -[Dave] Yes. 803. -[crew cheering] 254 00:12:09,360 --> 00:12:10,460 [Jack] Yeah. 255 00:12:10,460 --> 00:12:11,960 Man, that's cool. 256 00:12:11,960 --> 00:12:17,090 [narrator] Worth $1.2 million. 257 00:12:17,100 --> 00:12:19,560 Around that campfire, what was going through my head 258 00:12:19,560 --> 00:12:22,860 is, "Okay, I can go home now." 259 00:12:22,860 --> 00:12:26,860 Now we can honestly say we're full-fledged, 260 00:12:26,860 --> 00:12:29,760 I can make a living at this, gold miners. 261 00:12:29,760 --> 00:12:34,460 I wanted to see them become successful miners 262 00:12:34,460 --> 00:12:38,100 because that would mean that I was a successful miner also. 263 00:12:39,100 --> 00:12:42,160 And I thought, you know, now's a good time 264 00:12:42,160 --> 00:12:47,560 to go back to fishing and golfing with my buddies. 265 00:12:49,560 --> 00:12:50,890 [narrator] At the end of the season, 266 00:12:50,900 --> 00:12:53,790 Chris joins the rest of the crew 267 00:12:53,800 --> 00:12:55,360 for a TV special. 268 00:12:56,060 --> 00:12:57,690 We did he Dirt Life show. 269 00:12:57,700 --> 00:13:00,360 And that's when I announced... 270 00:13:00,360 --> 00:13:02,360 Well, this year I retired. 271 00:13:02,360 --> 00:13:04,090 You know, I threw in with these guys, 272 00:13:04,100 --> 00:13:06,760 helped them become successful gold miners. 273 00:13:06,760 --> 00:13:08,960 Look in front of you, you know? 274 00:13:08,960 --> 00:13:11,360 So it's time to step aside and let a younger guy 275 00:13:11,360 --> 00:13:13,060 get in that could use a job. 276 00:13:13,060 --> 00:13:14,990 -[Todd] Well, we're sad to see you go, Chris. -Thank you. 277 00:13:15,000 --> 00:13:16,500 -Thank you for everything. -Thank you, Chris. 278 00:13:18,800 --> 00:13:20,260 Parker popped up, "Hey." 279 00:13:20,260 --> 00:13:22,560 -If I might interrupt, do you mind? -No. 280 00:13:22,560 --> 00:13:24,090 I have no idea what you're going to say. 281 00:13:24,100 --> 00:13:27,160 Right now I'm crewing up to go up to the Yukon. 282 00:13:27,160 --> 00:13:28,360 -So... -Well, yeah. 283 00:13:28,360 --> 00:13:29,960 I mean, I need some veterans. 284 00:13:29,960 --> 00:13:31,560 I need some Klondike veterans. 285 00:13:31,560 --> 00:13:33,990 So that offer extends to all you guys. 286 00:13:34,000 --> 00:13:35,330 [audience laughs] 287 00:13:35,330 --> 00:13:38,090 [Chris] It was kind of funny because he was quite a character. 288 00:13:38,100 --> 00:13:39,790 Seventeen, cocky. 289 00:13:39,800 --> 00:13:42,260 But at the same time, it's kind of cool. 290 00:13:42,260 --> 00:13:44,060 [man] All right, that's enough out of you. 291 00:13:45,600 --> 00:13:46,460 [narrator] Coming up... 292 00:13:46,460 --> 00:13:47,590 [Parker] Ain't no vacation. 293 00:13:47,600 --> 00:13:49,460 You know that. 294 00:13:49,460 --> 00:13:51,660 Parker was very aggressive. 295 00:13:52,300 --> 00:13:53,260 Parker! 296 00:13:53,260 --> 00:13:54,690 Get out of my [bleep] way. 297 00:13:54,700 --> 00:13:56,460 Parker was probably one of the worst people 298 00:13:56,460 --> 00:13:58,460 I ever worked for in my life. 299 00:14:07,260 --> 00:14:09,000 [Chris laughs] Got it. 300 00:14:10,700 --> 00:14:13,760 We have a tank with a concentrate from the sluice box. 301 00:14:15,100 --> 00:14:17,260 It's in the gold room now. 302 00:14:17,260 --> 00:14:22,160 [narrator] Veteran miner Chris Doumitt is doing what he does best. 303 00:14:22,160 --> 00:14:24,860 I'm just going to hose it down into here, 304 00:14:24,860 --> 00:14:27,990 Now we can honestly say we're full-fledged, 305 00:14:28,000 --> 00:14:31,760 [narrator] Recovering gold from monster wash plant, Big Red. 306 00:14:31,760 --> 00:14:34,160 This drum has a screen in it. 307 00:14:35,100 --> 00:14:37,560 Materials dropping down to the screen 308 00:14:37,560 --> 00:14:38,900 in a centrifugal bowl. 309 00:14:39,700 --> 00:14:41,760 The bowl has ridges in it. 310 00:14:41,760 --> 00:14:45,890 And as it's spinning, the gold is being cast up 311 00:14:45,900 --> 00:14:48,390 into those ridges and being captured. 312 00:14:48,400 --> 00:14:51,660 All the impurities are getting washed over the top. 313 00:14:51,660 --> 00:14:53,660 What doesn't make it through the screen, 314 00:14:53,660 --> 00:14:55,690 the pickers, the nuggets, 315 00:14:55,700 --> 00:14:58,860 they'll come down into another sluice box down here. 316 00:15:00,560 --> 00:15:06,000 [narrator] To date, he's cleaned more than 60,000 ounces of gold. 317 00:15:07,060 --> 00:15:08,100 [Chris] This is awesome. 318 00:15:12,460 --> 00:15:17,160 [narrator] But in 2013, Chris thought he was done mining. 319 00:15:17,160 --> 00:15:19,660 After three years with the Hoffmans, 320 00:15:19,660 --> 00:15:21,760 it's time to retire again. 321 00:15:21,760 --> 00:15:25,660 [narrator] And he swapped shoveling dirt for working on his swing. 322 00:15:25,660 --> 00:15:27,590 I was getting kind of bored, 323 00:15:27,600 --> 00:15:30,590 starting to get underfoot with my wife. 324 00:15:30,600 --> 00:15:34,060 And early spring, Parker calls. 325 00:15:34,060 --> 00:15:36,460 They're having a problem with the new wash plant, 326 00:15:36,460 --> 00:15:38,090 Big Red. 327 00:15:38,100 --> 00:15:39,190 I was wondering if there's any way 328 00:15:39,200 --> 00:15:40,760 I can convince you to come up. 329 00:15:40,760 --> 00:15:43,590 I mean, you'd really be saving my ass. 330 00:15:43,600 --> 00:15:46,160 Big Red and I had a relationship, let's put it that way. 331 00:15:46,160 --> 00:15:48,730 We spent a lot of time together. 332 00:15:51,160 --> 00:15:54,160 [narrator] After buying Big Red from the Hoffmans, 333 00:15:54,160 --> 00:15:58,360 [narrator] Parker knows Chris is the best person to run it. 334 00:15:58,360 --> 00:16:02,160 But can he tempt him out of retirement for a second time? 335 00:16:03,100 --> 00:16:04,790 I always did like Parker, 336 00:16:04,800 --> 00:16:07,890 even though he was this little ornery kid, 337 00:16:07,900 --> 00:16:10,460 maybe reminded me of me too much. 338 00:16:11,900 --> 00:16:13,560 I first met Parker, actually, 339 00:16:13,560 --> 00:16:15,290 season one for our first year. 340 00:16:15,300 --> 00:16:16,760 [Parker] Get some neighbors off. 341 00:16:16,760 --> 00:16:19,160 And I remember it like it was yesterday, 342 00:16:19,160 --> 00:16:22,090 he'd come riding up on this little bitty motorcycle, 343 00:16:22,100 --> 00:16:26,860 he's only 15, just cocky, arrogant little kid. 344 00:16:26,860 --> 00:16:29,460 He was selling firewood to the Hoffmans, 345 00:16:29,460 --> 00:16:32,560 -[groans] -because we didn't have a camp generator. 346 00:16:35,560 --> 00:16:36,430 No. 347 00:16:36,430 --> 00:16:38,560 I charged him double what I usually do. 348 00:16:39,500 --> 00:16:41,360 He left quite an impression. 349 00:16:41,360 --> 00:16:42,460 [Jack] That's gold. 350 00:16:42,460 --> 00:16:45,190 [Parker] I mean, it's just gold fever. 351 00:16:45,200 --> 00:16:46,890 When you think about it, a couple hundred dollars 352 00:16:46,900 --> 00:16:48,090 worth of gold isn't much 353 00:16:48,100 --> 00:16:50,660 compared to everything they've spent here. 354 00:16:50,660 --> 00:16:52,890 And I remember I was still on the phone, and I said, 355 00:16:52,900 --> 00:16:54,860 "Sharon, Parker wants to know..." 356 00:16:54,860 --> 00:16:55,830 And she was gone. 357 00:16:55,830 --> 00:16:57,760 And a couple minutes later, she had my bags. 358 00:17:00,100 --> 00:17:02,990 She knew I was going stir crazy. 359 00:17:03,000 --> 00:17:04,760 I wanted to come back north. 360 00:17:04,760 --> 00:17:06,560 I just wasn't willing to admit it, 361 00:17:06,560 --> 00:17:09,560 only this time I knew it was going to be for more than 10 days. 362 00:17:09,560 --> 00:17:11,060 Ain't no vacation. 363 00:17:11,060 --> 00:17:12,090 You know that. 364 00:17:12,100 --> 00:17:15,090 [narrator] At his new claim on Scribner Creek, 365 00:17:15,100 --> 00:17:19,190 17-year-old mine boss Parker is struggling to process 366 00:17:19,200 --> 00:17:21,090 enough pay through Big Red. 367 00:17:21,100 --> 00:17:22,890 You just have to stay on top of it. 368 00:17:22,900 --> 00:17:26,360 You get it running too fast, things just jam up too quick. 369 00:17:26,360 --> 00:17:30,160 Between Parker and the Hoffmans is day and night. 370 00:17:30,160 --> 00:17:34,790 The Hoffmans ran very few hours a day. 371 00:17:34,800 --> 00:17:36,790 Parker was very aggressive. 372 00:17:36,800 --> 00:17:39,090 Just go, go, go, go, go. 373 00:17:39,100 --> 00:17:40,860 [Parker] Crank her up. 374 00:17:40,860 --> 00:17:43,260 We've been doing about 100 yards an hour. 375 00:17:43,260 --> 00:17:46,160 And I just turned the feeder up, so it'll be at about 180. 376 00:17:53,460 --> 00:17:57,890 I think starting off 100% right off the bat could be disastrous. 377 00:17:57,900 --> 00:18:00,760 But he's got the control, so we'll see what happens. 378 00:18:02,760 --> 00:18:04,900 The plant's hardly getting pushed at all. 379 00:18:06,700 --> 00:18:08,560 I think it's moving awful fast. 380 00:18:09,760 --> 00:18:10,760 Parker! 381 00:18:12,160 --> 00:18:13,560 What the [bleep] 382 00:18:14,760 --> 00:18:17,860 Parker pushed Big Red beyond its limits. 383 00:18:17,860 --> 00:18:19,360 Get out of my [bleep] way. 384 00:18:20,100 --> 00:18:21,760 [bleep] that plant. 385 00:18:21,760 --> 00:18:25,660 [Chris] I had a better understanding of the wash plant than he did. 386 00:18:25,660 --> 00:18:27,890 So he and I have this discussion. 387 00:18:27,900 --> 00:18:31,290 With this material, you can't push it. 388 00:18:31,300 --> 00:18:34,990 If you want to get gold, you just go steady. 389 00:18:35,000 --> 00:18:37,260 Give me the loader and the wash plant. 390 00:18:38,360 --> 00:18:39,660 What other choice you got? 391 00:18:41,500 --> 00:18:42,860 Sounds like a plan. 392 00:18:42,860 --> 00:18:43,990 He was willing to do that. 393 00:18:44,000 --> 00:18:46,260 I know reluctantly, because he wanted 394 00:18:46,260 --> 00:18:50,030 to just push dirt as hard as he could through the thing. 395 00:18:52,460 --> 00:18:57,360 [narrator] Chris makes the call to slow the feed rate by 20%. 396 00:18:57,360 --> 00:19:00,960 [Chris] Parker, he's been around mine sites his whole life, 397 00:19:00,960 --> 00:19:04,260 but he'd only been around Big Red a couple of weeks. 398 00:19:04,260 --> 00:19:07,360 I've been around that thing since it was born. 399 00:19:09,100 --> 00:19:11,960 [narrator] Parker meets with landlord Tony Beets 400 00:19:11,960 --> 00:19:15,660 to find out if Chris's call was the right one. 401 00:19:15,660 --> 00:19:17,160 [Tony speaking] 402 00:19:20,360 --> 00:19:22,300 [Parker] Whoa. Awesome. 403 00:19:23,300 --> 00:19:26,290 -[Tony speaking] -Six. 404 00:19:26,300 --> 00:19:27,290 Geez. 405 00:19:27,300 --> 00:19:31,160 [narrator] Worth nearly $200,000. 406 00:19:32,000 --> 00:19:33,100 [Tony speaking] 407 00:19:34,800 --> 00:19:36,760 Well, I think the thing that's helped us the most 408 00:19:36,760 --> 00:19:38,290 is Chris Doumitt showed up, 409 00:19:38,300 --> 00:19:40,900 and he's been running the plant pretty steady. Uh-- 410 00:19:43,360 --> 00:19:46,060 It was important to me to have success 411 00:19:46,060 --> 00:19:47,860 running Big Red my way. 412 00:19:47,860 --> 00:19:49,460 Good job, Chris. Well done! 413 00:19:49,460 --> 00:19:51,960 [Chris] It helped a lot with gaining Parker's trust. 414 00:19:51,960 --> 00:19:54,590 I think he started giving me a little bit more leeway 415 00:19:54,600 --> 00:19:55,900 than other people. 416 00:19:57,100 --> 00:19:59,260 Or either that or he was afraid of me. 417 00:19:59,260 --> 00:20:00,500 [laughs] 418 00:20:01,500 --> 00:20:02,760 That could be too. 419 00:20:06,560 --> 00:20:09,160 [narrator] Chris wins Parker's respect, 420 00:20:09,160 --> 00:20:12,690 but the rest of the crew are feeling his wrath. 421 00:20:12,700 --> 00:20:15,360 When we start getting treated like robots, 422 00:20:15,360 --> 00:20:18,260 don't expect much more than a machine would give you. 423 00:20:18,260 --> 00:20:19,990 [Chris] This is a mess. 424 00:20:20,000 --> 00:20:23,660 The first couple of years with Parker were difficult. 425 00:20:25,360 --> 00:20:28,260 Parker, this schedule is not going to work. 426 00:20:28,260 --> 00:20:30,090 I don't think he understood 427 00:20:30,100 --> 00:20:32,860 the responsibilities of a boss. 428 00:20:32,860 --> 00:20:34,600 That's what hours we're working, you know? 429 00:20:36,100 --> 00:20:37,890 So if you can't handle it, 430 00:20:37,900 --> 00:20:40,860 then maybe this isn't the place for you. 431 00:20:42,100 --> 00:20:44,190 You're not considering your crew. 432 00:20:44,200 --> 00:20:46,660 And no, I'm not the only one that feels this way. 433 00:20:46,660 --> 00:20:48,560 If you're not happy, then you can leave. 434 00:20:48,560 --> 00:20:49,660 The door is always open. 435 00:20:49,660 --> 00:20:50,660 -End of conversation. -You have a-- 436 00:20:50,660 --> 00:20:52,360 End of conversation. Don't talk. 437 00:20:52,360 --> 00:20:53,560 That's why people don't approach you. 438 00:20:53,560 --> 00:20:55,530 Okay, just leave. 439 00:20:58,000 --> 00:20:59,660 He was probably one of the worst people 440 00:20:59,660 --> 00:21:01,890 I ever worked for in my life. 441 00:21:01,900 --> 00:21:03,860 Look, you don't want to waste your [bleep] time. 442 00:21:03,860 --> 00:21:05,460 It's my [bleep] time to waste. 443 00:21:05,460 --> 00:21:07,090 [Rick] I'm just looking out for you. 444 00:21:07,100 --> 00:21:08,460 Yeah, it is your [bleep] time. 445 00:21:08,460 --> 00:21:10,190 I am looking out for myself, Rick. 446 00:21:10,200 --> 00:21:12,460 He'd be gone for two or three days, 447 00:21:13,500 --> 00:21:15,360 and be come back yelling and screaming 448 00:21:15,360 --> 00:21:17,160 because things weren't done the way he thought 449 00:21:17,160 --> 00:21:18,560 they should have been done. 450 00:21:18,560 --> 00:21:20,790 -Two days? -Well, I know. You weren't around. 451 00:21:20,800 --> 00:21:21,760 I had to make the calls. 452 00:21:21,760 --> 00:21:23,760 I had to make something happen. 453 00:21:23,760 --> 00:21:26,060 Well, I mean, that's just... that's not good enough. 454 00:21:26,860 --> 00:21:28,560 How do I stay out of the firing line? 455 00:21:28,560 --> 00:21:30,260 [Parker] If it had been done right, this wouldn't happen. 456 00:21:30,260 --> 00:21:31,360 And that's not on you. 457 00:21:31,360 --> 00:21:33,060 -I'm not saying that's on you, Mitch. -I know. 458 00:21:33,060 --> 00:21:35,160 Like I said, I'd like to just-- 459 00:21:35,160 --> 00:21:37,260 [Parker] That's not on you, but some of it is. 460 00:21:37,260 --> 00:21:41,060 I understand Parker and his personality, 461 00:21:41,060 --> 00:21:43,860 and what sets him off, and why it sets him off. 462 00:21:45,160 --> 00:21:46,400 [narrator] Still to come... 463 00:21:47,260 --> 00:21:48,960 We are not a crew here. 464 00:21:48,960 --> 00:21:51,090 We are a family here. 465 00:21:51,100 --> 00:21:54,460 [narrator] Chris is pushed to his limits by Parker. 466 00:21:54,460 --> 00:21:56,260 [Parker] Look at the position you're putting me in. 467 00:21:56,260 --> 00:21:57,660 What am I supposed to do? 468 00:21:58,460 --> 00:21:59,660 The only result is 469 00:21:59,660 --> 00:22:01,360 that things were going fine when you were gone. 470 00:22:01,360 --> 00:22:03,260 -Uh-huh. -So leave. 471 00:22:04,800 --> 00:22:09,200 Had Rick walked that day, I would have walked with him. 472 00:22:19,100 --> 00:22:20,990 [Chris] This is violent. 473 00:22:21,000 --> 00:22:24,260 [narrator] 15-year mining veteran Chris Doumitt 474 00:22:24,260 --> 00:22:29,160 brings in the rod mill to recover the hardest to catch gold. 475 00:22:29,160 --> 00:22:32,800 We'll run this open so you can see the action. 476 00:22:36,600 --> 00:22:40,560 [narrator] The gold rich concentrates pass through the mill. 477 00:22:40,560 --> 00:22:42,260 You're going to crush, you're going to pulverize, 478 00:22:42,260 --> 00:22:45,160 you're going to liquefy everything 479 00:22:45,160 --> 00:22:48,100 except gold, lead, and steel. 480 00:22:52,460 --> 00:22:57,560 Once it's all crushed out, look what you have. 481 00:22:59,560 --> 00:23:01,760 Life is like a sluice ball cleanup. 482 00:23:01,760 --> 00:23:03,730 You never know what you're going to get. 483 00:23:06,160 --> 00:23:08,890 When I left the Hoffman's and went to Parker, 484 00:23:08,900 --> 00:23:11,460 I kind of went from the frying pan to the fire. 485 00:23:13,400 --> 00:23:15,660 [narrator] Chris feels the heat more than ever 486 00:23:15,660 --> 00:23:19,090 in his second and third seasons with Parker. 487 00:23:19,100 --> 00:23:20,300 [Parker] We're not done mining. 488 00:23:22,100 --> 00:23:23,460 We need to keep working. 489 00:23:23,460 --> 00:23:25,400 We need to stay and find some more gold. 490 00:23:29,500 --> 00:23:31,760 Is there an issue with that? So... 491 00:23:31,760 --> 00:23:33,460 This is [bleep] 492 00:23:33,460 --> 00:23:36,460 I understand you wanted to get as much gold as you could get. 493 00:23:36,460 --> 00:23:37,760 I understand that. 494 00:23:37,760 --> 00:23:39,990 But everybody's wore out. 495 00:23:40,000 --> 00:23:42,460 We've wiped your ass for 2,000 ounces all season. 496 00:23:42,460 --> 00:23:44,160 Now we're empty. 497 00:23:44,160 --> 00:23:46,660 It's been [bleep] Parker, you're gone. 498 00:23:47,960 --> 00:23:49,660 I don't want you guys here if you don't want to be here. 499 00:23:53,360 --> 00:23:56,860 He fired a lot of good people 500 00:23:56,860 --> 00:24:00,290 for not of good reason. 501 00:24:00,300 --> 00:24:02,060 When you go through a lot of people, 502 00:24:02,060 --> 00:24:04,360 you pick up a reputation. 503 00:24:04,360 --> 00:24:06,160 And when you pick up that reputation, 504 00:24:06,160 --> 00:24:07,860 you don't get good people. 505 00:24:08,260 --> 00:24:09,600 Uh-oh! 506 00:24:11,060 --> 00:24:12,460 I guess we got a leak. 507 00:24:12,460 --> 00:24:13,690 We all remember Derek. 508 00:24:13,700 --> 00:24:15,200 Yeah. 509 00:24:17,660 --> 00:24:20,990 [narrator] In 2015, short on crew, 510 00:24:21,000 --> 00:24:24,860 Parker brings in mechanic Derek Antoniuk. 511 00:24:24,860 --> 00:24:28,090 Every weld Carl welded is crap. 512 00:24:28,100 --> 00:24:30,590 [Chris] He kind of thought he was a rooster. 513 00:24:30,600 --> 00:24:34,360 And he came in just pushing and bossing people around. 514 00:24:34,700 --> 00:24:36,090 -Mitch. -Yo. 515 00:24:36,100 --> 00:24:37,760 From now on, you listen to me. 516 00:24:39,160 --> 00:24:40,190 Everything all right? 517 00:24:40,200 --> 00:24:41,360 Yeah. 518 00:24:41,360 --> 00:24:43,700 Did you tell Rick you wanted to strangle Derek? 519 00:24:45,700 --> 00:24:47,900 He told me to go make him a pizza. 520 00:24:49,960 --> 00:24:51,960 I didn't hear an ask on that. 521 00:24:52,960 --> 00:24:55,000 "Doumitt, go make me a pizza." 522 00:24:57,100 --> 00:24:58,360 You know, I went and made his pizza. 523 00:24:59,460 --> 00:25:00,560 And I put it at his feet. 524 00:25:01,560 --> 00:25:03,860 I said, "Do that to me again, I'll--" 525 00:25:05,860 --> 00:25:06,800 I don't think so. 526 00:25:08,900 --> 00:25:11,790 In the mining world that we're in, 527 00:25:11,800 --> 00:25:15,390 you live with people 24/7 for months. 528 00:25:15,400 --> 00:25:17,560 You have to get along. 529 00:25:17,560 --> 00:25:19,460 Whether you like a person or not, 530 00:25:19,460 --> 00:25:21,860 you have to get along. 531 00:25:21,860 --> 00:25:25,460 Because one person that's a troublemaker 532 00:25:25,460 --> 00:25:27,260 can infect a whole camp. 533 00:25:27,260 --> 00:25:29,760 And now you have real problems. 534 00:25:32,200 --> 00:25:35,290 [narrator] Parker's longtime foreman, Rick Ness, 535 00:25:35,300 --> 00:25:38,300 has been away from the site for a few days. 536 00:25:39,560 --> 00:25:44,160 He returns to discover all hell has broken loose. 537 00:25:44,160 --> 00:25:45,660 [Rick] Pretty clear what's going on here. 538 00:25:45,660 --> 00:25:47,960 There's one guy messing everything up, 539 00:25:47,960 --> 00:25:50,990 and the one other guy that matters 540 00:25:51,000 --> 00:25:53,160 doesn't seem to see it. Parker. 541 00:25:55,000 --> 00:25:57,700 Just tell him to stay the [bleep] away from me. 542 00:25:58,660 --> 00:26:00,060 -Wow, Rick. -I'm serious. 543 00:26:01,200 --> 00:26:03,090 [Parker] That's not a position that I like to hear from you. 544 00:26:03,100 --> 00:26:06,090 -You-- -All he's done is try to get the plant up and going, 545 00:26:06,100 --> 00:26:09,960 -and we're running-- -And talking [bleep] about everybody that's been here, 546 00:26:09,960 --> 00:26:12,260 making this is what it is. 547 00:26:12,260 --> 00:26:15,500 And... and that's bull [bleep]. 548 00:26:17,560 --> 00:26:19,090 [Parker] Don't put me in this position. 549 00:26:19,100 --> 00:26:20,490 [Rick] What position? 550 00:26:20,500 --> 00:26:21,990 Pitting everybody against each other. 551 00:26:22,000 --> 00:26:23,590 I'm not pitting anybody against anybody. 552 00:26:23,600 --> 00:26:26,000 Parker was pointing his finger at the wrong person. 553 00:26:26,860 --> 00:26:29,260 And Rick may have handled it wrong, 554 00:26:30,560 --> 00:26:34,700 but Parker should've got more information before he blew up. 555 00:26:35,900 --> 00:26:37,860 I just don't like the guy. 556 00:26:37,860 --> 00:26:40,190 Yeah. I don't think it's my job to like everybody, is it? 557 00:26:40,200 --> 00:26:42,490 You don't get to just not like somebody. 558 00:26:42,500 --> 00:26:45,090 That is right. You have to at least give people a chance. 559 00:26:45,100 --> 00:26:47,000 That is a job requirement, yes. 560 00:26:50,260 --> 00:26:52,990 You are making an enemy out of me. 561 00:26:53,000 --> 00:26:54,290 That's not what I intended. 562 00:26:54,300 --> 00:26:55,760 That is-- that is the result. 563 00:26:56,200 --> 00:26:57,260 So what do I do? 564 00:26:57,260 --> 00:26:59,590 What-- Look at the position you're putting me in. 565 00:26:59,600 --> 00:27:00,760 What am I supposed to do? 566 00:27:01,660 --> 00:27:02,990 -I-- -The only result is that 567 00:27:03,000 --> 00:27:04,590 things were going fine when you were gone. 568 00:27:04,600 --> 00:27:06,300 -Uh-huh. -So leave. 569 00:27:11,000 --> 00:27:14,290 [Chris] You got to remember, Parker comes from a very small town 570 00:27:14,300 --> 00:27:16,260 in Alaska, right? 571 00:27:16,260 --> 00:27:20,090 So he didn't have a lot of exposure 572 00:27:20,100 --> 00:27:22,200 to a lot of different kinds of people, 573 00:27:24,000 --> 00:27:26,660 and so his people skills were were pretty limited. 574 00:27:27,860 --> 00:27:33,560 And it was just a matter of helping him develop those skills 575 00:27:33,560 --> 00:27:37,360 and to recognize the solution isn't always to fire someone. 576 00:27:39,060 --> 00:27:40,760 [Parker] Rick could have brought life back into this place. 577 00:27:40,760 --> 00:27:42,190 -Instead, he's-- -And he will. 578 00:27:42,200 --> 00:27:43,660 He-- he's not right now. 579 00:27:44,700 --> 00:27:46,460 -Should I fire him? -No! 580 00:27:46,460 --> 00:27:48,400 How many times do I want to tell you no? 581 00:27:49,960 --> 00:27:51,590 Don't do that to Rick, 582 00:27:51,600 --> 00:27:54,800 because these people have been with you a long time. 583 00:27:55,360 --> 00:27:56,290 A long time. 584 00:27:56,300 --> 00:27:58,060 And I don't know if you've noticed, 585 00:27:58,060 --> 00:28:00,390 but we are not a crew here. 586 00:28:00,400 --> 00:28:02,260 We are a family here. 587 00:28:02,260 --> 00:28:04,290 -We are. -And if something, someone, 588 00:28:04,300 --> 00:28:06,360 is tearing up that family, 589 00:28:06,860 --> 00:28:08,660 some kid, new-- 590 00:28:08,660 --> 00:28:10,860 he's only been here, what, a couple weeks? 591 00:28:10,860 --> 00:28:12,000 Who would you get rid of? 592 00:28:17,060 --> 00:28:20,300 Had Rick got fired that day, 593 00:28:21,560 --> 00:28:23,260 I would have walked with him. 594 00:28:24,760 --> 00:28:26,760 That was the attitude I had. 595 00:28:26,760 --> 00:28:29,590 But then I thought, with Parker, you know, 596 00:28:29,600 --> 00:28:32,060 you don't shoot a good horse just because he's lame. 597 00:28:33,760 --> 00:28:34,760 There's good in there. 598 00:28:35,600 --> 00:28:38,260 Just stifle the bad, 599 00:28:38,260 --> 00:28:39,760 draw out the good, 600 00:28:39,760 --> 00:28:41,460 fine-tune it, 601 00:28:41,460 --> 00:28:43,160 and you're gonna have yourself a champion. 602 00:28:45,500 --> 00:28:47,360 Rick needs a second chance. 603 00:28:47,360 --> 00:28:49,360 [Parker] He doesn't have my back. 604 00:28:49,360 --> 00:28:52,760 Well, he's watched your back for all these years, 605 00:28:52,760 --> 00:28:55,160 and then you jump on him. 606 00:28:55,160 --> 00:28:58,660 I think Parker and I have always been able to talk. 607 00:28:58,660 --> 00:29:01,360 We've always been able to work it out. 608 00:29:01,360 --> 00:29:03,990 I said, "Why on earth would you take this position?" 609 00:29:04,000 --> 00:29:05,800 He says, "I'm trying to keep a crew together." 610 00:29:07,160 --> 00:29:09,460 -Yeah. -He's the reason it's getting torn apart. 611 00:29:09,460 --> 00:29:11,300 Well, all right. 612 00:29:13,760 --> 00:29:17,560 It's easy to see where the conflict is 613 00:29:18,660 --> 00:29:20,000 and smooth it out. 614 00:29:22,460 --> 00:29:24,690 [Parker] Your attitude is outrageous. 615 00:29:24,700 --> 00:29:26,490 [Rick] I know I came in kind of like a [bleep]. 616 00:29:26,500 --> 00:29:28,800 That was stupid on my part. 617 00:29:31,000 --> 00:29:33,160 [Parker] You told me at the beginning of the season, 618 00:29:33,160 --> 00:29:36,760 "You don't know how much your mood affects the operation." 619 00:29:36,760 --> 00:29:39,260 And the same goes for you now, right? 620 00:29:39,260 --> 00:29:40,990 I really want to move forward. 621 00:29:41,000 --> 00:29:42,300 [Parker] You've always had my back. 622 00:29:48,360 --> 00:29:50,100 So are we good for a fresh start? 623 00:29:50,860 --> 00:29:51,860 [Rick] All right. 624 00:29:58,300 --> 00:29:59,360 If I got to shake a guy's hand, 625 00:29:59,360 --> 00:30:00,860 that's what I got to do. Whatever. 626 00:30:00,860 --> 00:30:02,760 Still don't mean I gotta [bleep] like the guy. 627 00:30:08,260 --> 00:30:09,600 Sorry I called you an imp. 628 00:30:11,260 --> 00:30:12,200 Come on, handshake. 629 00:30:12,700 --> 00:30:13,860 All right. 630 00:30:15,360 --> 00:30:16,590 [Chris] And one of the best things I can do 631 00:30:16,600 --> 00:30:19,060 is give Parker a real good listening to. 632 00:30:20,300 --> 00:30:22,260 And sometimes that's all it takes. 633 00:30:22,260 --> 00:30:23,700 I'm glad I helped save Rick. 634 00:30:27,460 --> 00:30:28,960 [narrator] At the end of the season, 635 00:30:28,960 --> 00:30:32,390 Parker brings his reunified crew together. 636 00:30:32,400 --> 00:30:33,590 [Parker] It's been a long one, 637 00:30:33,600 --> 00:30:34,660 and you guys have all stuck it out, 638 00:30:34,660 --> 00:30:35,890 and I appreciate that. 639 00:30:35,900 --> 00:30:37,300 It's ended up really good. 640 00:30:38,660 --> 00:30:40,690 And a lot of that, I have you to thank for, Rick. 641 00:30:40,700 --> 00:30:42,660 You've been one hell of a leader. 642 00:30:42,660 --> 00:30:44,960 -[Chris] Yup. Yeah, Rick. -I appreciate it, buddy. 643 00:30:44,960 --> 00:30:47,260 I want to thank you for giving me a shot. 644 00:30:47,260 --> 00:30:48,290 You know, I appreciate... 645 00:30:48,300 --> 00:30:50,990 [Chris] Parker was man enough to thank him. 646 00:30:51,000 --> 00:30:53,900 And compliment him for his leadership skills. 647 00:30:55,460 --> 00:30:57,260 That tells me there's good in the boy. 648 00:30:58,000 --> 00:30:59,060 You know? 649 00:30:59,060 --> 00:31:02,260 There's a tremendous amount of potential in Parker 650 00:31:02,260 --> 00:31:04,460 when you see someone do something like that. 651 00:31:04,460 --> 00:31:06,260 [all exclaiming and laughing] 652 00:31:07,000 --> 00:31:10,660 So that takes us to 3,362. 653 00:31:10,660 --> 00:31:12,560 -Shooter! -[all cheering and laughing] 654 00:31:13,760 --> 00:31:15,460 [narrator] In 2015, 655 00:31:16,160 --> 00:31:21,490 Parker mines $3,698,000, 656 00:31:21,500 --> 00:31:25,160 the biggest take of his gold mining career. 657 00:31:25,160 --> 00:31:27,760 Parker, you don't know how pleased 658 00:31:27,760 --> 00:31:29,360 and proud I am of you. 659 00:31:30,260 --> 00:31:32,160 [Chris] You know, his grandpa, John, 660 00:31:33,400 --> 00:31:35,490 He's the one who got the kid started. 661 00:31:35,500 --> 00:31:36,860 You know, they were close. 662 00:31:36,860 --> 00:31:39,060 They were very, very close. 663 00:31:39,060 --> 00:31:41,030 [party chatter and cheering] 664 00:31:43,500 --> 00:31:46,160 That was the last time I saw John Schnabel. 665 00:31:52,360 --> 00:31:56,030 That spring, John Schnabel passed away. 666 00:31:58,460 --> 00:32:01,330 I wasn't quite sure how Parker was gonna handle it. 667 00:32:03,800 --> 00:32:04,790 And I was kind of wondering 668 00:32:04,800 --> 00:32:07,260 how that might affect his mining season. 669 00:32:07,260 --> 00:32:09,160 Now that his grandfather is gone, 670 00:32:09,160 --> 00:32:10,990 does he have any goals? 671 00:32:11,000 --> 00:32:12,290 You know, is it... 672 00:32:12,300 --> 00:32:15,790 I think a lot of those goals were set for his grandfather. 673 00:32:15,800 --> 00:32:17,490 You know, "I'm going to do this for my granddad. 674 00:32:17,500 --> 00:32:18,900 I'm going do this for my grandpa." 675 00:32:19,660 --> 00:32:21,260 Now, with Grandpa gone, 676 00:32:22,360 --> 00:32:24,360 does he still have these goals? 677 00:32:34,900 --> 00:32:37,460 [Chris] Some gold, it just doesn't want to get cleaned. 678 00:32:37,460 --> 00:32:40,860 This is designed to recover superfine gold. 679 00:32:44,100 --> 00:32:46,590 [narrator] For miner Chris Doumitt, 680 00:32:46,600 --> 00:32:50,590 cleaning gold is a mix of science and art. 681 00:32:50,600 --> 00:32:54,590 [Chris] The part I love the most about the gold room 682 00:32:54,600 --> 00:32:57,790 is seeing just how clean I can get the gold, 683 00:32:57,800 --> 00:33:00,460 and if I can get every little flake. 684 00:33:02,300 --> 00:33:03,460 I want it all. 685 00:33:05,760 --> 00:33:08,360 Trial, error, and fine-tuning. 686 00:33:08,360 --> 00:33:11,390 Constantly changing the table, changing the speed, 687 00:33:11,400 --> 00:33:13,190 changing the water flow, 688 00:33:13,200 --> 00:33:15,660 add a little, take a little away, 689 00:33:15,660 --> 00:33:19,300 it all helps direct that gold to the path it should go. 690 00:33:21,100 --> 00:33:22,960 [narrator] Chris knows better than anyone 691 00:33:22,960 --> 00:33:27,260 the path to success doesn't always run smooth. 692 00:33:27,260 --> 00:33:30,690 It's always hard leaving home for six months. 693 00:33:30,700 --> 00:33:34,060 But the fourth season with Parker 694 00:33:34,560 --> 00:33:35,660 is the toughest. 695 00:33:37,160 --> 00:33:39,190 [narrator] In 2016, 696 00:33:39,200 --> 00:33:41,890 Chris is tested more than ever. 697 00:33:41,900 --> 00:33:43,160 How are you doing, kid? 698 00:33:43,160 --> 00:33:44,390 -Oh, my God. -I'm good. 699 00:33:44,400 --> 00:33:47,090 [Chris] My wife, Sharon, was dealing with cancer. 700 00:33:47,100 --> 00:33:49,760 This is a real cook when you know you're cooking gold. 701 00:33:50,360 --> 00:33:51,330 At the same time, 702 00:33:51,330 --> 00:33:53,490 I was dealing with some real bad back issues. 703 00:33:53,500 --> 00:33:54,800 [groaning] 704 00:33:55,160 --> 00:33:56,490 Ah, damn. 705 00:33:56,500 --> 00:33:59,660 And so I had to have back surgery. 706 00:33:59,660 --> 00:34:02,090 So I can't lift anything. 707 00:34:02,100 --> 00:34:05,160 Which, in mining, means you can't do anything. 708 00:34:07,360 --> 00:34:08,560 [machine creaking] 709 00:34:08,560 --> 00:34:11,660 That thing sounds like me when I walk now. 710 00:34:13,260 --> 00:34:15,000 I think this sounds a little better. 711 00:34:17,860 --> 00:34:18,930 Hurry up, Tyson. 712 00:34:18,930 --> 00:34:20,660 I'm tired of standing here watching you work hard. 713 00:34:20,660 --> 00:34:21,800 [Tyson] Do you want me to grab you a chair? 714 00:34:23,900 --> 00:34:25,160 One with wheels. 715 00:34:27,300 --> 00:34:29,460 Once I realized I couldn't run the plant, 716 00:34:29,460 --> 00:34:31,400 I felt like I wasn't contributing. 717 00:34:32,360 --> 00:34:34,000 I had no worth. 718 00:34:34,900 --> 00:34:35,860 I mean, I hate to say it, 719 00:34:35,860 --> 00:34:36,890 but I think it might be turning 720 00:34:36,900 --> 00:34:38,530 into a young man's game around here. 721 00:34:41,000 --> 00:34:42,160 [Chris] The back surgery, 722 00:34:42,160 --> 00:34:43,790 it got me out of equipment, 723 00:34:43,800 --> 00:34:45,760 but it got me into the gold room. 724 00:34:45,760 --> 00:34:47,060 Is your back all right doing that? 725 00:34:47,060 --> 00:34:49,100 Oh, yeah. Yeah. I'm going slow. 726 00:34:50,160 --> 00:34:51,290 All right. 727 00:34:51,300 --> 00:34:53,100 It's very, um... 728 00:34:54,800 --> 00:34:56,100 secluded here. 729 00:34:57,160 --> 00:34:58,260 You don't want a lot of traffic 730 00:34:58,260 --> 00:34:59,460 going through your gold room. 731 00:35:02,000 --> 00:35:04,890 I felt left out for a while, 732 00:35:04,900 --> 00:35:07,560 because I wasn't out in the cut with everybody else. 733 00:35:07,560 --> 00:35:08,560 We're gonna jig it. 734 00:35:08,560 --> 00:35:10,760 We're gonna clean the jig real well. 735 00:35:10,760 --> 00:35:12,360 We'll table it-- We'll clean it. 736 00:35:12,360 --> 00:35:15,600 Yeah, I don't feel like I'm part of the whole crew. 737 00:35:17,000 --> 00:35:18,990 I'm an outcast. I'm worthless. 738 00:35:19,000 --> 00:35:21,590 You know, I'm not bringing anything to the table. 739 00:35:21,600 --> 00:35:22,960 I have no worth. 740 00:35:23,560 --> 00:35:25,390 I thought, well, you know, 741 00:35:25,400 --> 00:35:26,960 you got to get good at this. 742 00:35:27,660 --> 00:35:29,360 We got a Big Red coming in. 743 00:35:30,200 --> 00:35:31,160 [woman] 70... 744 00:35:31,600 --> 00:35:33,030 100... 745 00:35:35,500 --> 00:35:37,460 119.3. 746 00:35:37,460 --> 00:35:38,990 Ooh, not bad, man. 747 00:35:39,000 --> 00:35:40,360 [Parker] Let's see what old Sluicifer did. 748 00:35:41,800 --> 00:35:44,500 [Chris] Now I have worth and value. 749 00:35:46,460 --> 00:35:48,760 Even though I'm not out with everybody else, 750 00:35:48,760 --> 00:35:50,860 I'm just as much part of the crew as anyone. 751 00:35:54,360 --> 00:35:56,160 How's it looking, Doumitt? 752 00:35:56,160 --> 00:35:58,660 You're looking at about $320,000. 753 00:35:58,660 --> 00:35:59,830 [Rick] [bleep] Yeah. 754 00:36:01,200 --> 00:36:03,560 [Chris] I finally realized that's my niche in life. 755 00:36:04,100 --> 00:36:05,090 Bingo. 756 00:36:05,100 --> 00:36:06,400 That's where I belong. 757 00:36:10,100 --> 00:36:12,190 [narrator] Gold isn't the only thing of value 758 00:36:12,200 --> 00:36:14,290 to come out of Chris' new role. 759 00:36:14,300 --> 00:36:16,160 Hi, Chris. 760 00:36:16,160 --> 00:36:17,160 Hey there, youngster. 761 00:36:17,160 --> 00:36:18,660 What's going on this week, huh? 762 00:36:20,100 --> 00:36:22,990 So I think the first few years I was in the Gold Room, 763 00:36:23,000 --> 00:36:26,460 Park and I spent a lot of time together, quiet time, 764 00:36:26,460 --> 00:36:29,860 and we'd talk about all kinds of stuff. 765 00:36:29,860 --> 00:36:30,860 It's one-on-one. 766 00:36:32,000 --> 00:36:33,360 There's no interruptions. 767 00:36:33,360 --> 00:36:34,860 I have to live in a different world 768 00:36:34,860 --> 00:36:37,060 of-- of keeping this business afloat. 769 00:36:37,060 --> 00:36:38,360 So much money has gone out 770 00:36:38,360 --> 00:36:39,990 and hardly anything has come in, right? 771 00:36:40,000 --> 00:36:41,060 That's not good. 772 00:36:42,560 --> 00:36:45,590 I definitely wasn't looking for that position, 773 00:36:45,600 --> 00:36:50,060 but I think I ended up being in this position of a... 774 00:36:50,060 --> 00:36:51,260 a counselor. 775 00:36:51,960 --> 00:36:53,130 Mentor. 776 00:36:55,560 --> 00:36:56,990 [Parker] Sometimes it's pretty tough to do this. 777 00:36:57,000 --> 00:36:59,190 It's pretty tough to keep going. 778 00:36:59,200 --> 00:37:03,090 [narrator] In 2018, without his grandpa, John, 779 00:37:03,100 --> 00:37:05,730 Parker turns to Chris. 780 00:37:08,160 --> 00:37:10,490 [Parker] Yeah, I'm just feeling like a piece of [bleep]. 781 00:37:10,500 --> 00:37:13,760 I would-- I wouldn't say lonely and depressed, 782 00:37:13,760 --> 00:37:15,790 but, really, I'm just feeling [bleep] sorry for myself. 783 00:37:15,800 --> 00:37:17,460 -[Chris] Yeah. -Which is [bleep]-- 784 00:37:17,460 --> 00:37:18,560 which is... 785 00:37:19,160 --> 00:37:20,260 which is pretty stupid. 786 00:37:20,260 --> 00:37:21,560 But, um... 787 00:37:23,800 --> 00:37:24,860 [Parker sighs] 788 00:37:24,860 --> 00:37:26,460 You know, it just takes me a... 789 00:37:27,260 --> 00:37:28,560 longer and longer every day 790 00:37:28,560 --> 00:37:31,160 to convince myself that this is all worth it. 791 00:37:31,160 --> 00:37:32,490 [Chris] Well, you can either sit up here 792 00:37:32,500 --> 00:37:33,960 and smother yourself in self-pity, 793 00:37:33,960 --> 00:37:36,900 or you can get out there and be a leader again. 794 00:37:37,860 --> 00:37:40,000 Everything I touch turns to [bleep]. 795 00:37:40,800 --> 00:37:42,100 [Chris laughs] 796 00:37:43,300 --> 00:37:45,090 Honestly, that's how I [bleep] feel. 797 00:37:45,100 --> 00:37:47,390 [Chris chuckling] No. How can you say that? 798 00:37:47,400 --> 00:37:49,160 We're on schedule for our goal, 799 00:37:49,160 --> 00:37:51,000 even though we started a month late. 800 00:37:51,560 --> 00:37:53,260 That's all you, Parker. 801 00:37:53,260 --> 00:37:56,260 And now is the time where you can't stop. 802 00:37:56,260 --> 00:37:58,460 This is the final push of the season. 803 00:37:58,460 --> 00:37:59,590 -I get that. -Right? 804 00:37:59,600 --> 00:38:01,190 -Okay. -I get that. 805 00:38:01,200 --> 00:38:03,560 Parker's just looking for a little bit of encouragement 806 00:38:03,560 --> 00:38:05,360 and a bit of confidence. 807 00:38:05,360 --> 00:38:08,660 I mean, the team can't score a touchdown 808 00:38:08,660 --> 00:38:09,760 without a quarterback. 809 00:38:09,760 --> 00:38:10,860 You're the quarterback. 810 00:38:10,860 --> 00:38:12,060 You're not the boss anymore. 811 00:38:12,060 --> 00:38:13,060 You're a leader. 812 00:38:13,060 --> 00:38:14,860 You have to get out in the cuts 813 00:38:14,860 --> 00:38:16,490 and show people that you're out there, 814 00:38:16,500 --> 00:38:17,500 you're in it. 815 00:38:18,260 --> 00:38:19,360 It's the encouragement. 816 00:38:24,100 --> 00:38:25,160 You can do it. 817 00:38:25,360 --> 00:38:26,560 Yeah? 818 00:38:26,560 --> 00:38:28,160 -[laughs] -Yeah. 819 00:38:28,860 --> 00:38:30,590 Okay, buddy. I gotta go. 820 00:38:30,600 --> 00:38:31,760 You take care, right? 821 00:38:32,560 --> 00:38:33,860 Jump in there, man. 822 00:38:33,860 --> 00:38:35,660 -Yeah, we'll be all right. -We'll make it. You'll be all right. 823 00:38:35,660 --> 00:38:37,000 We'll catch you later, youngster. 824 00:38:37,600 --> 00:38:38,600 Thanks, Chris. 825 00:38:42,460 --> 00:38:43,460 [Parker] You know, Chris is right. 826 00:38:43,460 --> 00:38:44,760 I'm definitely going to have to step up. 827 00:38:44,760 --> 00:38:46,360 And we can get through the season. 828 00:38:49,260 --> 00:38:50,560 Mitch, fire it up. 829 00:38:54,100 --> 00:38:55,660 Parker, send us some material. 830 00:38:57,900 --> 00:39:00,860 Parker is a smart kid. 831 00:39:02,000 --> 00:39:04,060 He just needed a friend. 832 00:39:10,100 --> 00:39:11,760 [narrator] Coming up... 833 00:39:11,760 --> 00:39:14,060 [Chris] There was never a doubt in my mind 834 00:39:14,560 --> 00:39:15,990 about buying Dominion. 835 00:39:16,000 --> 00:39:20,460 [narrator] Chris opens up on Parker's $15 million gamble. 836 00:39:20,460 --> 00:39:22,660 [Parker] That's a lot of money. 837 00:39:22,660 --> 00:39:24,560 And we haven't gotten to the good stuff yet. 838 00:39:28,660 --> 00:39:30,860 [Chris] Yeah, see, now that it's dry, 839 00:39:30,860 --> 00:39:32,360 see how it moves so easily? 840 00:39:33,500 --> 00:39:34,390 We'll, um, demag it, 841 00:39:34,400 --> 00:39:36,700 and we should have some good clean gold. 842 00:39:37,800 --> 00:39:39,160 There's a magnet in here. 843 00:39:40,260 --> 00:39:41,560 You push it down, 844 00:39:41,560 --> 00:39:44,000 and it'll compress against that plastic plate... 845 00:39:46,360 --> 00:39:49,760 and pick up any magnetics that were left. 846 00:39:51,460 --> 00:39:52,630 [narrator] To date, 847 00:39:52,630 --> 00:39:57,990 Chris has cleaned nearly 60,000 oz of gold for Parker. 848 00:39:58,000 --> 00:39:59,360 [Chris] Put in perspective, 849 00:39:59,360 --> 00:40:02,100 that weighs about the same as a small car. 850 00:40:03,460 --> 00:40:05,560 Just about all fit in one wheelbarrow. 851 00:40:06,600 --> 00:40:09,400 And you're looking at about $118 million. 852 00:40:10,660 --> 00:40:12,860 And we cleaned 'er one flake at a time. 853 00:40:18,900 --> 00:40:23,160 -7,427.25 oz. -[all exclaiming] 854 00:40:24,460 --> 00:40:26,290 [narrator] Over 11 seasons, 855 00:40:26,300 --> 00:40:29,290 Parker, with Chris by his side, 856 00:40:29,300 --> 00:40:33,400 has gone from a young minor to a Klondike powerhouse... 857 00:40:34,100 --> 00:40:37,990 7,504.9 oz. 858 00:40:38,000 --> 00:40:41,260 ...smashing previous record-breaking gold hauls... 859 00:40:41,260 --> 00:40:44,660 [Mitch] 399.65. 860 00:40:44,660 --> 00:40:47,060 ...time and time again. 861 00:40:47,060 --> 00:40:52,590 This year, we have 8,309.75 oz. 862 00:40:52,600 --> 00:40:54,160 [all cheering] 863 00:40:54,160 --> 00:40:56,260 [Parker] I never in 1,000 years 864 00:40:56,260 --> 00:40:57,760 thought it would turn out like this. 865 00:40:58,760 --> 00:41:00,960 [narrator] And in 2022... 866 00:41:00,960 --> 00:41:03,090 -All right, you guys. -What do you got, Chris? 867 00:41:03,100 --> 00:41:05,760 ...they hit an incredible milestone. 868 00:41:05,760 --> 00:41:08,160 [Chris] With this week's gold weigh, 869 00:41:08,160 --> 00:41:09,790 collectively, in your career, 870 00:41:09,800 --> 00:41:12,960 you have now exceeded 50,000 oz of gold. 871 00:41:12,960 --> 00:41:17,860 [narrator] Today, worth $115 million. 872 00:41:17,860 --> 00:41:21,460 -Fifty-- fifty thousand. Well... -50,000 oz of gold, right. 873 00:41:21,460 --> 00:41:23,190 And you guys have been a big part of that. 874 00:41:23,200 --> 00:41:25,090 Where the [bleep] did it all go? 875 00:41:25,100 --> 00:41:26,260 [all laughing] 876 00:41:26,260 --> 00:41:28,000 [crew member] D11! D11! 877 00:41:29,360 --> 00:41:30,490 [Parker] What in the [bleep]? 878 00:41:30,500 --> 00:41:32,160 Parker, if you want to open that. 879 00:41:32,160 --> 00:41:34,400 Ready? Let her buck, man! 880 00:41:35,160 --> 00:41:36,160 Whoo! 881 00:41:36,960 --> 00:41:38,090 [man laughing] 882 00:41:38,100 --> 00:41:40,060 Did you notice we have one extra glass? 883 00:41:40,060 --> 00:41:42,560 Honestly, I think one should be for your grandpa. 884 00:41:42,560 --> 00:41:43,990 He's the one who got you started, 885 00:41:44,000 --> 00:41:46,190 and I think we should pour one out for Grandpa John. 886 00:41:46,200 --> 00:41:47,260 That's a good call. 887 00:41:47,260 --> 00:41:48,300 -[man] Oh, yeah. -[man 2] Right. 888 00:41:53,360 --> 00:41:54,390 [Chris] To Grandpa John! 889 00:41:54,400 --> 00:41:56,300 -[man] Whoo! -[man 2] Whoo! 890 00:41:58,260 --> 00:41:59,560 Thanks, Chris. 891 00:41:59,560 --> 00:42:01,460 Oh, my pleasure, young man. 892 00:42:01,460 --> 00:42:02,330 [Parker] You've cleaned a lot-- 893 00:42:02,330 --> 00:42:03,590 You've cleaned a lot of gold down here. 894 00:42:03,600 --> 00:42:04,660 Yeah, no kidding. 895 00:42:04,660 --> 00:42:06,460 Here's to 50,000, you guys. 896 00:42:06,460 --> 00:42:09,260 -[Mitch] 50,000 more. -[Chris] And to the next 50. 897 00:42:12,300 --> 00:42:13,500 [bleep] it. 898 00:42:17,000 --> 00:42:18,460 [narrator] In 2023... 899 00:42:19,730 --> 00:42:20,790 Thank you. 900 00:42:20,800 --> 00:42:21,760 Congratulations. 901 00:42:22,460 --> 00:42:25,290 ...Parker drops $15 million 902 00:42:25,300 --> 00:42:29,990 on the 7,500-acre Dominion Creek claim, 903 00:42:30,000 --> 00:42:34,400 catapulting him to the top of the Yukon Gold miners. 904 00:42:35,560 --> 00:42:36,790 [Parker] We bought the place. 905 00:42:36,800 --> 00:42:38,360 -Whoa! -[woman] Whoa! 906 00:42:38,360 --> 00:42:39,900 -[Mitch] There he is. -Look at you. 907 00:42:40,800 --> 00:42:43,360 -Our own place. -All the headaches. 908 00:42:43,360 --> 00:42:45,060 -We got everything. -Yeah, all the bills? 909 00:42:45,060 --> 00:42:46,460 -All the good and the bad. -Yeah. 910 00:42:46,460 --> 00:42:48,060 If it's a success, we did it. 911 00:42:48,060 --> 00:42:49,860 If there's something wrong, you did something wrong. 912 00:42:49,860 --> 00:42:51,300 [all laughing] 913 00:42:59,260 --> 00:43:00,900 [Chris] I think it was a great investment. 914 00:43:01,660 --> 00:43:04,060 Parker was really smart 915 00:43:04,060 --> 00:43:05,730 and he really checked things out. 916 00:43:06,100 --> 00:43:09,260 120, 150, 160... 917 00:43:09,260 --> 00:43:11,860 We spent a lot of money drilling holes. 918 00:43:11,860 --> 00:43:14,560 [Mitch] 220, 230... 919 00:43:14,560 --> 00:43:16,200 But it told us an awful lot. 920 00:43:17,000 --> 00:43:18,730 [Mitch] 340... 921 00:43:19,360 --> 00:43:20,390 And from what I understand, 922 00:43:20,400 --> 00:43:22,360 we haven't gotten to the good stuff yet. 923 00:43:22,360 --> 00:43:24,900 Well, you threw a 5,000 oz goal at us. 924 00:43:25,460 --> 00:43:26,560 You nailed that. 925 00:43:26,560 --> 00:43:28,560 You threw a 7,000 oz goal. 926 00:43:29,360 --> 00:43:31,360 Our season total... 927 00:43:31,360 --> 00:43:34,660 is 7,381.1 for the season. 928 00:43:34,660 --> 00:43:37,290 [narrator] In their first season at Dominion, 929 00:43:37,300 --> 00:43:42,490 Chris cleans up almost $15 million worth of gold, 930 00:43:42,500 --> 00:43:46,360 nearly covering the cost of Parker's new claim. 931 00:43:46,360 --> 00:43:48,900 You know, there was never a doubt in my mind 932 00:43:49,460 --> 00:43:50,730 about buying Dominion. 933 00:43:51,360 --> 00:43:53,400 The best is yet to come. 934 00:43:55,860 --> 00:43:57,960 [Parker] I really want to thank you all. 935 00:43:57,960 --> 00:44:02,060 And, um, I mean it from the bottom of my heart. 936 00:44:02,060 --> 00:44:03,660 You know, through the years, it's just... 937 00:44:03,660 --> 00:44:10,260 it's been a joy and a pleasure just to watch Parker mature 938 00:44:10,260 --> 00:44:13,560 and transform into the person he is. 939 00:44:15,160 --> 00:44:18,090 In his early years, there was no recognition. 940 00:44:18,100 --> 00:44:19,360 There was no reward. 941 00:44:19,360 --> 00:44:21,000 There was no pat on the back. 942 00:44:22,200 --> 00:44:23,390 "You're here to work for me. 943 00:44:23,400 --> 00:44:24,900 You're here to make me money." 944 00:44:25,360 --> 00:44:26,330 Period. 945 00:44:28,730 --> 00:44:31,390 He realizes the value in people now. 946 00:44:31,400 --> 00:44:34,900 Good people are good to have around. 947 00:44:37,260 --> 00:44:38,860 You know, I think Parker is probably 948 00:44:38,860 --> 00:44:41,260 one of the best people I've ever worked for... 949 00:44:41,730 --> 00:44:42,660 now. 950 00:44:58,200 --> 00:45:01,430 I've got a gift in mind for Parker. 951 00:45:03,900 --> 00:45:05,560 Hopefully this is gonna work. 952 00:45:11,100 --> 00:45:14,730 [Parker] Chris, he's been a really good influence on me 953 00:45:14,730 --> 00:45:16,660 in terms of just... 954 00:45:17,760 --> 00:45:18,830 life, 955 00:45:18,830 --> 00:45:21,990 and dealing with people and dealing with problems. 956 00:45:22,000 --> 00:45:25,400 I give him a lot of credit for where we are now. 957 00:45:29,960 --> 00:45:31,730 [Chris] Over the last three or four years, 958 00:45:31,730 --> 00:45:35,160 I think I probably got away from the mentoring... 959 00:45:35,160 --> 00:45:36,590 part of things, 960 00:45:36,600 --> 00:45:38,000 and just a trusted friend. 961 00:45:42,260 --> 00:45:44,730 -Hi. What you doing? -Hey, Parker. 962 00:45:45,860 --> 00:45:48,290 [Chris] It's kind of odd for a 72-year-old man 963 00:45:48,300 --> 00:45:50,560 and a 30-year-old boy to become friends. 964 00:45:50,560 --> 00:45:53,000 But it is what it is. 965 00:45:53,900 --> 00:45:55,860 -Nice day. -It's beautiful out. 966 00:45:57,560 --> 00:45:58,760 [Chris] You need the opener? 967 00:45:58,760 --> 00:45:59,760 [Parker] No, I got it. 968 00:46:01,260 --> 00:46:03,500 There's been so many butterflies around. 969 00:46:04,100 --> 00:46:05,560 It's an omen. 970 00:46:05,560 --> 00:46:07,590 -It's a sign. -Is it a good sign? 971 00:46:07,600 --> 00:46:09,260 Yeah. Look at the color of their wings. 972 00:46:09,260 --> 00:46:10,460 They're kind of goldy. 973 00:46:10,660 --> 00:46:11,730 Right? 974 00:46:12,500 --> 00:46:13,490 Through our lives, 975 00:46:13,500 --> 00:46:16,500 we have a lot of acquaintances, 976 00:46:17,460 --> 00:46:19,660 few friends. 977 00:46:19,660 --> 00:46:23,390 When you really look at the true definition of a friend, 978 00:46:23,400 --> 00:46:25,600 someone who's willing to lay their life down for you. 979 00:46:27,000 --> 00:46:28,160 That's a friend. 980 00:46:29,500 --> 00:46:31,260 Everyone else is an acquaintance. 981 00:46:32,100 --> 00:46:33,600 So, anyway, I made you that. 982 00:46:37,160 --> 00:46:38,190 Nice. 983 00:46:38,200 --> 00:46:39,090 That is cool. 984 00:46:39,100 --> 00:46:42,100 [Chris] Caesar Parker Schnabelus. 985 00:46:43,100 --> 00:46:44,260 I hope you get a kick out of it. 986 00:46:44,260 --> 00:46:46,490 I know how you like old Roman coins. 987 00:46:46,500 --> 00:46:47,900 Oh, that is so cool. 988 00:46:48,730 --> 00:46:49,860 I'm glad you like it. 989 00:46:49,860 --> 00:46:51,160 -Thank you, Chris. -You bet. 990 00:46:51,160 --> 00:46:52,560 I hope it brightens your day. 991 00:46:52,560 --> 00:46:53,590 It does. 992 00:46:53,600 --> 00:46:56,090 It just kind of a... a little bit of a thank you 993 00:46:56,100 --> 00:46:57,890 for giving me an opportunity to be down here 994 00:46:57,900 --> 00:46:59,190 and work on these gold rushes. 995 00:46:59,200 --> 00:47:00,260 -Oh, Chris. -Man, I've loved it. 996 00:47:00,260 --> 00:47:01,790 It's been such a joy. 997 00:47:01,800 --> 00:47:03,990 It's been a hell of a ride, that's for sure. 998 00:47:04,000 --> 00:47:05,190 [Parker] Who'd have thought, huh? 999 00:47:05,200 --> 00:47:06,560 Who would have thought? 1000 00:47:06,560 --> 00:47:08,560 I came up north for ten days... 1001 00:47:09,200 --> 00:47:10,800 15 years ago 1002 00:47:11,600 --> 00:47:13,100 just to build a cabin. 1003 00:47:13,660 --> 00:47:15,060 Yeah. 1004 00:47:15,060 --> 00:47:16,360 [Chris] What a thrill. 1005 00:47:16,360 --> 00:47:20,260 And to be involved in the life of a kid... 1006 00:47:20,260 --> 00:47:23,060 that get 38 oz his first year 1007 00:47:23,060 --> 00:47:26,860 to becoming one of the largest gold producers of the Yukon now. 1008 00:47:26,860 --> 00:47:29,300 Couldn't ask for a better boss either, Parker. 1009 00:47:29,860 --> 00:47:30,760 And I mean that. 1010 00:47:30,760 --> 00:47:33,460 Oh, Chris. I appreciate that. 1011 00:47:33,460 --> 00:47:35,460 -Thanks for the coin, man. -You bet ya, buddy. 1012 00:47:35,460 --> 00:47:36,730 [Chris] Thank you for everything, man. 1013 00:47:36,730 --> 00:47:38,000 Chris, thank you for everything. 1014 00:47:39,260 --> 00:47:41,560 [Chris] I'm as proud of him as any of my kids. 1015 00:47:42,660 --> 00:47:43,630 It's amazing. 1016 00:47:43,630 --> 00:47:46,460 He's just-- he's done such a wonderful job. 1017 00:47:48,900 --> 00:47:51,260 Life is like a handful of dirt. 1018 00:47:51,260 --> 00:47:53,660 Somewhere in there, you're gonna find some gold. 1019 00:47:53,660 --> 00:47:55,460 You just gotta cherish it when you find it. 1019 00:47:56,305 --> 00:48:56,483